Digimon Adventures: Hero's Justice
by Lichlord08
Summary: (AU) Set in an alternate reality where the heroes of the Digital Worlds are divided into heroes and villains, the forces that protect Odaiba must stop the evil that is the Night Queen from bringing destruction to their world, along with the other evils that threaten their lives and those they protect. (Thanks to Liquidphazon).
1. Chapter 1

Taking the night shifts at the Odaiba museum, the guards had expected another quiet night, but were on high alert due to the new exhibit the museum was hosting, showing off relics belonging to the supposed Ancient Kingdom that predated most known civilizations, so they had a higher volume of security stationed in the event of something unexpected.

And unexpected is exactly what the guards got, when first the circular glass window above the main museum auditorium burst apart and a figure quickly landed between two guards, bringing out twin silver blades that they used to cut the security officers down, before the other guards looked at the figure, finding that due to their more slender figure of the individual the intruder was female.

She was clad in a tight black bodysuit, where her arms and legs were covered in matching silver gauntlets and leggings that had jagged spike like patterns coming out of them, along with matching shoulder pads.

Attached to the back of her outfit was a dark silver cape that rested between a pair of sharp, metallic wings.

The only notable features the guards could make of their female intruder was her face, where a dark mask, shaped like a bird's beak, covered all but her brown eyes, while her dark purple hair flowed freely down her back.

"It's Dark Hawk!" One of the guards yelled as several of them brought their guns up, only for the masked villainess, the assassin known as Dark Hawk, while in secret known to her allies as Yolei Inoue, to not only slice through the weapons, but to leave deep cuts along those that tried to fight against her, leaving them all collapsing simultaneously.

"What a sad lot you turned out to be." Dark Hawk said, kicking over one of the guard's bodies, before grinning as she heard the museum's alarms now blaring and more guards to show up.

"Maybe you will be more of a challenge for me." She then commented, looking forward to satiate her bloodlust, before three more figures jumped down behind the masked assassin, causing the guards to halt and step back.

The first was a rather large figure wearing a silver cybernetic suit that covered his whole body, leaving only his brown eyes and hair visible, while as a silver mouth guard covered his mouth and nose.

One either shoulder was a round shoulder pad with a spike set upon each of them, leaving a red scarf around his neck.

But most noticeable was his right arm, which looked like a large, metallic arm with an equal sized fist on it.

The second figure was another male, a little shorter than the other one, only his entire form was covered in a bodysuit, a mix of red and blue, with dark metal gauntlets and leggings, as well as a split cape, one side red and the other blue.

His mouth was covered and only yellow slits were shown where eyes should be as the figure held his hands out, where a metallic liquid substance formed in them and quickly grew, taking the form of two silver blades, one that crackled with electricity, the other with a burning flame around it.

Last to join the trio was another female, she too was similar to Dark Hawk as she also wore a full body suit, only hers' was dark purple in colour and had a dark red pattern running along her body, resembling thorny vines.

However, unlike Dark Hawk or her allies, she wore no mask, wanting her victims to see her face and to know exactly who they were up against, showing off her sweet smile, her dark purple eyes and her shoulder length blonde hair, where a pitch black flower rested on the right side of her head, acting as an accessory to show her obvious obsession with plantlife.

The guards sweated heavily as they saw the figures, seeing the villain known as Ironfist, the cybernetic brawler formerly known as Ryo Akiyama, the masked villain known as Fusionist, secretly known as Tagiru Akashi, who could fuse elements and use them as weapons, and the plant based villainess known as Dark Ivy, originally known as Namami, an expert in biological weaponry who even went as far as to use herself in her experiments.

"Hey, Hawk, don't go stealing all the fun from us." Fusionist said with a dark laugh, before Ironfist quickly jumped into the arm, raising his right arm, before slamming it into the ground, upending the floor and knocking several guards down, while others were thrown back by the impacting shockwave, before Fusionist moved at great speeds, cutting several guards down with his blades, smirking as he heard them cry from not only the sharpness, but from the flames and shock as well.

Meanwhile, Dark Ivy sighed, not one to get too involved into the fights and get blood on her, where she merely brought her left hand up, causing a dozen vines to shoot out of the ground, quickly grabbing a few more guards and holding them in place, before reinforcements rushed in to attack the intruders.

However, three more figures came in through the opening, causing the guards to take cover as they were fired upon by a barrage of bullets and electric fire, with the first giving off a dark smirk as he lowered his right arm, showing the small device set around his wrist, which also was fastened around his left.

The figure was clad in a long dark blue trench coat that had a dark red trimming behind it, while a matching shirt and pair of pants covered the figure's being.

His hair was short and spiked, a midnight blue shade, with his identity concealed by a set of dark purple shaded sunglasses.

The second of this new trio was wearing a black trench coat over a tech suit, with two tech pistols in his hands, a black cowboy style hat over his wavy blonde hair, and what looked like a shoulder mounted rocket launcher, as well as a metal face guard that covered his mouth and nose, but left his blue eyes visible.

The last of the trio, meanwhile, was wearing a purple business suit with white strips on it, with a grey coat on and steel tipped boots on.

A red scarf went around his neck, while six black bat-like wings came out of his back.

In both hands were two tommy guns that appeared to be made of dark energy, while a pair of long knives were around his waist.

Finally, he wore a purple top hat that went with his outfit, while the rest of his head was obscured in black, with only a pair of glowing red eyes and a demonic smile showing.

Again, the guards paled at seeing the new villains, recognizing them as Stryker, the mad tech genius secretly known as Ken Ichijouji, Dark Hawk's lover, the dark gunman called Deathstrike, known to a select few as Michael Hendrick, who was said to have ties with the criminal underworld, and Ryouma Mogami, more commonly known as the demonic gunslinger Asta, possessing not only near perfect marksmanship, but actual demonic powers within him.

"It's our turn." Asta said in a dark, menacing voice as he and his colleagues opened fire once more at guards, who did their best to take cover as the other four villains moved in to strike.

"Not bad, still say I'm better." Deathstrike remarked as he shot several of the guards, smirking mentally as he saw Asta missed a few.

"Will you two just focus!" Stryker yelled as he blasted several more guards down, before looking at his right arm as a holographic display appeared from his wrist band, showing a pinging mark on a map of the museum, indicating what they were here for was in the next room.

One guard, fearing for his life, made the mental decision to flee, and turned to leave his hiding spot, only to see someone standing right in front of his path.

Looking ahead, the guard saw a girl smiling at him, where he took in her appearance, seeing the girl dressed in a black jacket over a pink top, exposing her stomach and her breasts.

Black high heeled boots adorned the girl's feet, reaching up to her thighs, the lower section of her outfit was a black pair of shorts that just covered her lower region, showing off her slender legs.

She had blonde hair that was tied into two pigtails that hung on the sides of her head, held in place by pitch black bands, each sporting a small heart upon them, while a dark silver circlet rested around her head.

The guard immediately knew who this was, but before he could do anything, the girl leaned in and surprised him by kissing him on the lips.

However, the moment she did this, the guard's eyes glazed over and his mind went blank, causing her to giggle as she whispered into his ear. "Now be a good boy and go turn the alarms off."

Simply nodding in reply to the blonde's words, the guard did as he was told, unable to resist the order he had received from the female figure, the dark psionic known as Charm Mistress, or Airu Suzaki to those who managed to get on her good side.

Seeing what was going on, the last two guards were about to point their guns at the blond, before they heard another female speak some words in a language they could not understand, where they were shocked as their hands and feet turned to stone, looking up to see another female figure, who stood with the other villains as she smirked wickedly.

With what time they had before meeting their demises, taking in what they could of the figure, they saw her wearing a black ensemble, with a dark vest and a spiked collar, showing off both her figure and plenty of skin as the top was left open, revealing the woman's slender body and the dark purple gem necklace she wore around her neck.

Her hair was pitch black and tied to the left of her head, black silk gloves covered her hands, passing her elbows, thigh high black boots covered her feet, while her brown eyes showed nothing but pure malice and joy at seeing those around her suffer.

This was the dark witch Psychonis, formally known as Jeri Katou, who smirked wickedly as she watched the two guards turn fully into stone statues, where she walked up to one and pushed it over, smirking as she watched it shatter into pieces on the ground.

What guards were still conscious, mostly those tied in Dark Ivy's vines, where filled with dread at seeing most of the Dark Legion, the most notorious villain group in Odaiba, perhaps the entire country, before their eyes, before the sounds of running filled the entire area, causing the villains to look to see dozens of guards, the last of the museum's security, pouring into the room, with some on the second floor balcony, all pointing their guns at the villains.

"Put your hands up or we'll...!" One of the guards started to yell, only for each and everyone of the guards to be lifted off the ground and into the air, all gasping for air as what looked like shadowy hands were reaching up and strangling them.

When all the guards were taken down, they all fell to the ground with a thud, before a dark portal opened behind the villains, causing all to look behind them, where three individuals walked out of it.

The one on the right of the trio was a female, wearing a black tech suit that covered her entire body, with black boots that had six red lights on it, like eyes that went up towards her knees.

A black metal torso piece covered her chest and stomach, with her stomach area glowing orange and had a black phoenix design in the centre.

An orange belt went around her waist with two black metal circles on the sides, with red lights on the centre.

Black shoulder pads were on her shoulders, while metallic rings were around her upper arms, connected to a pair of red cloth with orange rings on each cloth end, which came down past her arms, almost pooling on the ground, but revealing her metal tech gloves and showing her red glowing nails coming out of them.

On her back was an orange oval shaped device with six vents on it that seems to be emitting heat that flowed around her, while a red hood covered her head, only revealing a plain orange mask with fire-like designs on it and a single red eye.

The figure looked held a seductive quality to her, but also a deadliness came with her, and few who had crossed her path lived to tell it.

The second figure, who was on the left, was a male, dressed in a dark blue armour that covered his entire body, with a black trench coat over his outfit.

His gauntlets had razor sharp claw like fingers with spikes coming out of their sides, along with his shoulder pads, while his entire head was consilde in a mask that looked like a vicious wolf's head.

The final figure, and perhaps most intimidating, was the female figure in the middle of the trio, who wore a full black body armour set that showed off her feminine form, but also showed off her evil due to the dark red writings all along her arms, legs and torso, while a dark purple gem of terrible power rested on her chest.

Her gauntlets had claw-like fingers, with a black staff held in her right, that had a dark purple gem on top, held between twin dragons.

Out of her back were two wing-like spikes that had dark cloth hanging down from it like a cape as a dark robe rested around her form, ending with a hood that covered most of her head, while her face was concealed by a sliver mask, with the only feature on it being a pair of red eyes.

This was the Night Queen, a powerful dark sorceress, the founder and leader of the Dark Legion, and one of the most powerful villains Odaiba had seen in a long time.

The female to her left was her right hand, the Red Phoenix, a powerful pyrokinetic who severed her Mistress faithfully, and has made a name for herself by the trail of scorched bodies in her wake, while the male was Fang, a former street thug with tremendous power that had become the Night Queen's enforcer over the years.

"All clear, Boss." Fusionist said with a smirk behind his mask as he and the other members of the Legion moved out of the way to allow their leader to walk past them, each following the Night Queen as they entered the new exhibit area, where the dark sorceress approached what looked like a statue of an ancient Goddess.

"Well then..." The Night Queen then said, her voice dark and almost non-human, as she turned to Dark Hawk, who nodded as she took out her blades once again, swinging quickly, where she cut the statue in half, causing the top half to fall backwards and onto the ground, revealing that it was in fact hollow on the inside.

Looking inside, the villains could see ancient writing all along the inside of the new section, along with a black book at the center, an aura of darkness surrounding it, giving a bad vibe to some of the villains, before the Night Queen reached in and picked it up, the aura fading, as though sensing the more powerful darkness within the one holding it.

However, the next moment, a loud sound was heard as the ceiling above them broke, where a figure landed on the ground behind the Dark Legion, causing them to turn and sneer at the figure as he stood up.

The figure was a man dressed in shining gold coloured armour, where etching and carvings were expertly set within the chestpiece, the shoulderplates stuck out a little, each holding a blue gem, and four wings of light came out of his back as blades of similar energy came out of his gauntlets.

The figure's entire head was covered in a golden helmet that had a V shaped mark coming out of the forehead, showing only a pair of determined brown eyes as he got into a fighting stance before this villains.

This was the hero V-Force, leader of the Protectors, one of Odaiba's premier superhero teams, also known to his close allies and friends as eighteen year old Davis Motomiya, a high schooler determined to protect the world and those he cared for.

"I don't know what you are planning to do with that, but this ends here!" Davis yelled with conviction.

"You are starting to get on my nerves, V-Force!" Dark Hawk yelled back as she jumped into the air, her blades ready to strike as she charged at V-Force, only for her blade to be blocked by another as she glared with rage at the new arrival, finding herself locked in combat with another blade user.

Glaring at her new opponent, Dark Hawk took in her appearance, seeing the younger female figure wore steel gloves and leggings that ran up her hands and feet, with her chest covered by a slim and revealing black suit.

Her hair was a shade of purple that flowed down her back, her eyes were a matching shade of purple, while a black face mask covered her nose and her mouth, keeping her identity a secret to her enemies as she pressed her katana blade against Dark Hawk's.

This was the ninja heroine of the Protectors, Darkblade, also known to her friends as fifteen year old Suzie Wong.

"And you are just pissing me off, brat!" Dark Hawk screamed as she pushed Darkblade back, before the two began to exchange blows in the air, both dodging as blocking the other's attacks as they fought one another.

Ironfist was then about to go in for the strike, only to turn and use his cybernetic arm to block a powerful kick as he took in his new opponent's form, finding the individual that had attacked him set within a mechanical suit of sorts, metallic green gauntlets and leggings were set upon his form, with various cables running through and around the figure's chest and back.

Concealing their face was a green helmet, with a thick black visor, only allowing Ironfist to see the determined expression on their face.

This was Cyberstriker, a tai chi master who combined tech with his fighting styles, while also known to his friends as Henry Wong, Darkblade's older brother and a powerful friend to his allies.

"I'm your opponent, Ironfist." Cyberstriker declared, bouncing off of the cyber villain's arm and landing a few feet away as he got into a fighting stance.

"It's your funeral." Ironfist replied, clenching his right fist, before moving in to punch his foe, where Cyberstriker merely dodged around, trading punches and kicks with the villain as the pair battled.

"I was hoping tonight would get intense!" Fusionist then said with an insane laugh as the blades in his hands morphed into axes, both covered in flames as sparks of electricity surged off of them, where the villain was about to charge at V-Force, only to quickly turn and use his weapons to block a flaming fist as he was pushed backwards, his feet skidding the group as he passed Davis, who remained still as he glared at the remaining villains.

Fusionist, meanwhile, had a dark grin under his mask as another hero landed in front of him, the one who not only threw the punch, but had been in the villain's mind a personal rival of his, finding himself against a male figure that was clad in gold armour, with the shoulderplates, arms and legs protruding outward from the extra layer upon them.

And staring at the figure, Fusionist, though their whole face was concealed by a red visor, set upon a V shaped helmet, knew this hero all too well as they clenched their flaming fist and took a fighting stance.

Mikey Kudo, more commonly known to the world, and to Fusionist, as the fiery hero Red Nova, glared at his opponent through his visor as he stated. "Don't think for a second that I'll give you the chance to move, Fusionist."

"Then you shouldn't have let me touch the ground." The villain replied with a smirk behind his own mask as he moved his left foot slightly, where tendrils of pure rock shot out of the ground towards the hero, who used his fists to punch them, shattering the rocks to pieces as he then charged at Fusionist, the two moving into another part of the museum as they battled.

Bored, and wanting to leave already, Dark Ivy lifted her left hand, causing dozens of vines to shoot out of the ground before her, where they raced towards the heroes, only for the villainess' eyes to widen as they stopped halfway through as flowers began to blossom out of them, where the plant villainess growled as she saw someone walk in from behind V-Force.

The newcomer was another heroines, with pink hair and brown eyes that were barely covered by a green eye mask set around her head.

She wore a green one piece bodysuit, similar to Dark Ivy's, only hers' had had a light green leaf pattern that ran down the sides of her outfit, while her arms and her legs were left exposed, showing off her appealing figure.

Her hands were covered by a pair of green gloves, green heeled boots adorned her feet, while light green thigh high stockings ran up her legs.

"Sorry, Dark Ivy, but you aren't going to be causing any trouble tonight." Mimi Tachikawa, known better as the plant heroine, Lilly, said with a glare as she crossed her arms, taking her fight against the plant villainess with great seriousness, while the blonde seemed to lack the same enthusiasm.

"What's the matter, too jealous of my superior power and obvious beauty?" Dark Ivy asked as she waved a hand through her hair, continuing to get on the pink haired heroine's nerves as she went on and questioned. "Is that why you wear a mask, to hide that unwanted face of yours'?"

"That's it!" Lilly declared in rage as she held out her hands, causing the vines before her to turn back and rush at Dark Ivy, who stood still as vines formed along her arms, extending out large thorns that she used as blades, cutting down the vines, before charging at Lilly, who mimicked her foe's actions, creating thorn weapons of her own as the pair fought in close combat.

Watching the fighting, getting annoyed himself, Stryker growled as he said. "We don't have time for this."

The tech villain then raised both his arms, ready to unleash an electric attack at the heroes, only to quickly turn his power into a barrier of energy around him as he was blasted by electricity energy himself, pushing him back a few feet, before he looked up into the air and glared at the figure hovering in the air.

The figure was another male hero, wearing an advanced purple metal body suit that covered his whole body, while a helmet covered his entire face with a V shaped red visor and two thick antennas came out of the sides.

On his back were two pairs of blue energy-like wings, resembling a bug's wings, while four circle metallic objects, two attached to his upper shoulders and two by his legs.

Finally, around his arms were holographic displays of his various systems and scans of the area around him allowing the being complete access to the museum's floor plan, as well as all the data he could acquire on his allies and his foes.

This individual, known to his friends as Izzy Izumi, was more commonly known as the tech hero named Hitech, where the new arrival then pointed his hands at Stryker as they crackled with a secondary wave of electricity.

"Surrender quietly, Stryker, this is your only warning." Hightech said, keeping his true voice a secret through the moderation device set within his speakers.

"Like I would listen to a wannabe 'genius' like you!" Stryker yelled in rage, believing himself the superior genius to his foe and hating the competition, causing him to strike back and cast off a barrage of energy from his gauntlets, where Hitech countered with his own attack, casting off another stream of electricity, which Stryker avoided, jumping and sliding to his left as he continued to shoot at the armoured hero.

Seeing their allies and their enemies fighting, Deathstrike and Asta looked at one another, as though sharing the same thought, before their pointed their guns out, ready to take the heroes out while they were distracted.

However, before either could fire, a loud sound above them caused them to look up, where the pair quickly moved as a blast of fire hit the ground where they were standing, before a powerful gust of wind separated them further as a pair of heroes landed between the villains, glaring at them as they prepared to fight.

The first was a male figure that was clad in red armour, with red robes and flame designs covering his form.

On each of his claw-like gloves were two retractable orange blades, while out of his back were two large wings that looked like they were made out of fire.

His face was covered by a matching red flame helmet, showing off his brown eyes and mouth, alongside the blazing determination within his expression.

Three large horns came out of the top of the helmet, while a long mane of yellow hair came out of the helmet and down his back.

His companion was a female who was clad in a black spandex style suit that clung to her body, showing off her C-Cup breasts and her tone body, while pink armour covered the heroine's chest arms and feet, where the gauntlets on her arms ended with razor sharp talons as fingers.

The female's face was covered by a facial mask, covering her mouth and nose, showing off her gleaming green eyes and her flowing blonde hair, though the most notable thing about this heroine was the two large white and brown feathered wings that came out of her back.

These were the mystic hero and heroine of Flame and Wind, Fireguard and Zephyr, known in secret to their friends as Takuya Kanbara and Zoe Orimoto, both of whom were part of an ancient order of warriors who used the ten elements to battle evil and the forces of darkness.

"I don't know what you creeps are planning with that book, but we won't let you escape this time." Fireguard said to Asta as he extended his blades, narrowing his eyes as the demonic gunman chuckled, where his tommy guns vanished in a dark wisp, before a pair of long knives came out of his sleeves.

Asta then charged at Fireguard as the two battled, both moving so fast most could not keep up with them.

"Normally I frown on firing at a girl, little lady, but I'll make an exception tonight." Deathstrike said nonchalantly as he pointed his guns at Zephyr and fired, where the winged heroine quickly took to the air to avoid the sudden hail of gunfire.

The Villain then looked over his right shoulder as his missile launcher activated, firing a rocket at the blonde, only for Zephyr to cut it into pieces with her claws.

"Too bad I have no problems kicking the snot out of a creep like you!" Zephyr yelled back as she rushed down at Deathstrike, who went on the defensive as he dodged her talons, looking for a chance to fight back.

With the various heroes in their own fights, Charm Mistress gave a small giggle.

"So many cuties to play with." She remarked to herself, where her eyes began to glow a bright pink, having decided to have some fun with the heroes before asking the Night Queen if she could keep some as pets, where the display of ancient swords and weapons nearby began to glow with the same aura, slowly rising from their displays as Charm Mistress prepared to launch them at her foes.

However, the psionic villainess' concentration was broken for a second by a punch to her face, which seemed to come out of nowhere, causing her eyes to widen in realization as the blonde quickly turned her energy into a barrier around her, growling as the field was being barraged by hits coming from all sides as she saw an orange and red blur run around her.

"Stop ruining my fun you annoying pest!" Charm Mistress yelled as the figure stopped and looked at her with a smirk on their face, causing the blonde villainess to glare back at the female heroine.

Looking at her, Charm Mistress saw the heroine, who had red hair tied in twin ponytails, was cast in a one piece suit that was a light shade of orange and had lightning designs on it, where it showed off her arms and legs, as well as her C-cup sized breasts.

A mask covered her face, hiding her identity, but allowing her mouth, nose and amber eyes to be seen.

Orange high heeled boots that reached up to her thighs adorned her legs, while long, orange gloves slid to her upper arms.

Angie Hinomoto, more commonly known as the speedster heroine, Thunderstrike, just kept her grin as she said back. "Nah, I think I'll just keep you focused on me while my team wrecks your friends."

The redhead then launched back into her assault, hitting Charm Mistress' barrier from every angle, keeping the blonde focused on her and not on causing any trouble for her team.

Fang, meanwhile, seeing that V-Force was still open, growled lightly, where a blue aura formed around his being, especially his claws, where he lunged at the leader of the Protectors, saying arrogantly through his altered voice. "Looks like you're all alone, loser!"

However, Fang was proven wrong when a fist, covered in orange energy similar to his own, slammed into the side of his face, sending the masked villain flying a few feet to the side, before landing on his feet.

Recovering from the attack, Fang gave off a small snarl to see who had dared to strike him, seeing that standing by V-Force's side was another member of the Protectors, a hero clad in bright orange coloured armour, where three blades extended from out of the gauntlets upon his hands.

An orange coloured cape adorned the hero's back and was connected to two shoulder pads that resembled dragonheads.

He wore a helmet that covered his entire head, with three horns coming out of it, while two eye slots revealed a set of brown eyes that stared Fang down, continuing to build up the villain's anger, where he said with spite. "Dragonheart..."

"Fang." Tai Kamiya, the second in command of the Protectors, Davis' older brother-like figure, and Fang's nemesis replied back as he prepared to fight.

Not saying another word, the blue energy around Fang grew and took shape, looking like a massive, snarling wolf, while Dragonheart did the same, where his form stood inside that of a dragon made of pure orange energy as the wolf lunged at him, the two brawling and pushing each other through the wall and into another room.

Locked in combat as Fang and Dragonheart remained in the midst of their battle, Red Phoenix saw her chance to rid her Mistress of V-Force, where her body began to levitate off the ground as flames formed around her, before she gathered the flame into her hands, throwing the massive fireball at the leader of the heroes, only for a loud sonic cry to be heard, shattering glass as the shockwave hit the flames, causing them to die out as the fiery villainess looked further in the air to see a familiar female heroine floating above, her body covered in a light blue glow as she glared down at her.

Unlike her allies, this heroine wore no mask, not afraid to show who she was, knowing that she could handle any villain that tried to come after her at anytime.

She had long brown hair that she had tied with a yellow scrunchie and cast it as a set of twintails that seemed to move up and down her head.

She wore a black tank top shirt that stopped just above her tone stomach, which showed off her D-cup sized breasts, with a blue, short sleeved vest over the top, while a tight pair of blue jean shorts that stopped just over her thighs and showed off her legs.

Around her waist was a blue belt with an oval blue gem on the side of it.

On her hands she wore black fingerless gloves and blue high heeled boots that went up to her thighs.

And finally on the back of her vest was the design of a golden sparrow.

Nene Amano, world famous idol and actress, also known by her heroine's name, Songbird, glared down at Red Phoenix, where the fiery villainess asked through her altered voice with some smugness. "Shouldn't you be out prancing around for your fans?"

"That was delayed. I had a beating to deal with beforehand." Songbird said back, unfazed by Red Phoenix's mocking, where she then gathered the energy around her into her fists, firing off a blast of energy at the pyro villainess, who used her flames to create a shield around her, before turning it into a pair of flaming wings as Red Phoenix shot up at Songbird, the heroine flying around as she avoided the fire and counterattacked, using her blasts of energy to repel Red Phoenix's inferno.

Watching the fighting, and wanting to get on her boss' good side, knowing that the Night Queen would reward her for taking a few heroes out, Psychonis began to chant in a dark language as dark energy formed in her hands, ready to unleash a powerful dark magic attack at the heroes.

But before she could, another blast of energy, this time in the form of a fox, slammed into the dark witch's chest, sending her flying back, where she quickly got up and looked at her attacker, finding that blocking her from her other foes was the last heroine of the Protectors, and one that caused her a lot of pain.

Taking in her sights, Psychonis saw a figure clad in a black spandex style suit that clung to her body like a second skin, showing off her tight ass and tone stomach.

She had gold coloured boots on her feet, gold coloured gloves over her arms and a golden chest piece that covered her D-cup sized breasts, while a golden belt was around her waist, containing many items she used in her fight against the forces of evil.

She wore a fox mask over her face that covered her eyes and forehead, but revealed her mouth and her red hair that went down her upper back.

And in her right hand was a golden staff that had a circle on the top, with several rings around it, her signature weapon, able to harness spiritual powers to aid her in her fight against the dark forces.

Top model by day, powerful mystic heroine by night, Rika Nonaka, known to her foes as Vixen, swung her staff around as she looked at Psychonis and said. "We'll have none of your dark magic tonight, you witch. Whatever your Mistress has planned it ends here."

"Don't count on it, fox brain." Psychonis said, quickly chanting another spell as bolts of dark energy shot out of her hands towards the mystic heroine, who held her staff before her being, saying a chant of her own as a barrier of light energy formed around her, protecting her from the attack as the two magic users battled.

Seeing the rest of the Dark Legion now occupied, V-Force saw his opening, ready to take down the Night Queen, or at least knock that book out of her hand.

Davis was no fool, he knew from experience that the Night Queen wasn't one of the most feared villains in the world for nothing, but he knew she had to be stopped before she could do whatever harm she planned with that book.

His light energy blades extended further from his gauntlets as V-Force then rushed at the arch villainess, hoping to catch her before she could react.

However, before the hero could bring his blades down, a figure moved out of the shadows behind the Night Queen, using a black sword in its hand to block the attack, pushing V-Force back a little as he growled, seeing who he had missed before, the last member of the Dark Legion.

The figure was an unknown man in armour made out of black dragon scales.

There were spikes coming out of the back of his boots as well as his gauntlets, which ended with razor sharp talons for fingers.

His chest piece had the appearance of a demonic dragon's face on it.

His shoulder pads looked like demonic dragons with the lower jaws missing where his shoulders met it with long horns coming out of them.

On his back was a long, black cap, with two shadow wings coming out of the back, while in his left hand was a shield resembling a dark dragon head.

His helmet resembled a mix between an old knight's helmet and a demonic dragon, where two large horns came out of his head, while his face was completely unseen, save for a glowing pair of red eyes that looked as though smoke was coming out of them.

Shadowknight, a dark spirit summoned from the Dark Realm by the Night Queen, pushed his opponent back, causing V-Force to skid across the floor a little, where he took a fighting stance, ready to push past the dark warrior and strike at his Master.

"Out of the way!" V-Force said with a threatening tone, while Shadowknight remained silent as always, merely drawing his sword back as though to charge at his foe.

However, the shadowy warrior quickly brought his shield up as he blocked a blow from a golden staff, being pushed back and out of the way as his red eyes looked upon his foe, the last hero in the Protectors.

The opposite of his dark form, the Shadowknight stared at an angelic figure, a hero clad in deep blue armour that covered his body, arms and his legs, while a helmet with a golden cross shape marked his face, only allowing the serious expression on his lips to be seen.

And like Zephyr, the most noticeable quality in this hero were the golden wings that spread from out his back.

This hero's name was Seraph, but to those who know him better, he is TK Takaishi, Davis' best friend.

"Go! I've got him! Just stop the Night Queen!" Seraph yelled behind him at V-Force, who brought his staff back as it changed into a sword of light, where the angelic hero began to trade blows with his shadowy opponent as they flew into the air.

Quickly nodding, V-Force wasted no time as he shot at the Night Queen, only for her to use her staff and block his attack, halting the hero's advance like it was nothing as she said. "You have been a thorn in my side for too long, V-Force."

The arch villainess' eyes then glowed a bright red, where a blast of dark energy shot out of her, pushing not only V-Force back, but the power of her dark magic also pushed the other heroes as well as they were caught in the attack, giving the Dark Legion a chance to breathe, before the heroes quickly regained their focus and glared at their enemy.

"Suffer!" The Night Queen then yelled as shadow shapes moved from her being, forming five black dragon-like heads, which fired blasts of dark purple energy at the heroes, causing them to scatter and avoid the powerful attack, which left scorching burn marks all over the walls.

Seeing the Night Queen step forward a little, raising her staff to tell her minions to hold back, Dragonheart rushed in first to try and fight the villain, finding her reacting quickly to his attacks as she dodged, ducked and blocked each move, as if she could anticipate Dragonheart's strategy before he used it, where she took him off guard by delivering a swift and painful kick to his stomach, sending him flying back and crashing into the wall, cracking it as he impacted with it.

"That will teach you for interfering with me again." The Night Queen said with a cold and spitefulness toward Dragonheart, but found the other allies of V-Force were on her back, turning her staff without even looking as she blocked a strike from both Darkblade and Seraph, leaving both stunned that the villainess didn't turn around, before they too were pushed back by a powerful force as the Night Queen swung her staff, with Seraph catching Darkblade in his arms so that they both would not crash into the ceiling.

The arch villainess then pointed her staff at Lilly, who quickly responded by raising her hands, causing dozens of vines to shoot out of the ground before her to quickly restrain the Night Queen.

But before they could reach her, the Night Queen's eyes glowed once again, and the vines withered and died, reduced to piles of rotting weeds, before two more shadow head formed from her back, where her staff and the heads fired blasts of dark energy at the plant heroine.

However, much to Lilly's relief and worry, Hitech quickly landed before her, raising his left arm as an energy shield formed and he took the attack for the plant heroine, only to let out a groan as he heard warning alarms in his helmet, indicating that the barrier was failing quickly.

At the sight of her friends in danger, Thunderstrike rushed at the Night Queen, using her super speed to try and deliver a quick punch to the villainess and stop her attack, but for the Night Queen's dark power, the speedster heroine was moving slow in her eyes, allowing her to react quick enough as she swung her staff and slammed it into the side of the redhead's face, sending her flying back and landing close to Dragonheart.

Looking at one another and nodding, Fireguard and Zephyr flew into the air, gathering the elemental energies of fire and wind within them, before combining their power and launching a twister of fire and wind at the Night Queen, hoping the combined power could put a stop her and her darkness.

However, much to their horror, the Night Queen's eyes glowed once again, where she moved her left hand, the one holding the dark book, to the side as the flaming twister moved around her instead of at her, turning from an orange flame to a dark blue as it circled her, before the tip of the flame turned into a dragon's head and launched itself back towards Fireguard and Zephyr, causing the pair to quickly try and dodge the corrupted elemental attack.

With so many of their friends either suffering or avoiding the pain of the Night Queen, Red Nova and Cyberstriker decided to join in, both believing that with all the dark magic the Night Queen was producing, she might have drained herself enough to strike back.

But planning their attacks carefully, Cyberstriker moved in first, going for a full frontal assault, throwing an array of punches at the Night Queen, knowing that even if his attacks failed, then Red Nova would be able to pick up where he had left off.

As predicted, the Night Queen avoided each punch Cyberstriker delivered, the tai chi hero keeping a stoic expression on his face as he remained fighting the villainess, while noticing Red Nova had moved into position.

With his fists set ablaze, the fiery hero then launched himself, ready to strike the Night Queen from the side, only for his and Cyberstriker's eyes to widen as she disappeared before them in a dark wisp, where Red Nova's right fist accidentally slammed into Cyberstriker's chest, while the tai chi hero's left foot slammed into Red Nova's stomach, sending both to the ground as the Night Queen reformed above them.

The Night Queen then merely floated as a series of spirit foxes shot at her, a dark barrier forming around her being, canceling the spirits out, before Vixen launched in to deliver a swift kick to her foe, only for the Night Queen's staff to disappear from her hand, where she side stepped in the air, grabbed Vixen by her left, spun her and threw the mystic heroine at Songbird, causing both heroine to crash into one another and fall to the ground, where the Night Queen landed before them, her right hand pulsing with dark energy as she readied to finish the pair off.

However, before she could, a powerful blast of light energy came at her from the side, causing her to quickly turn and use her power to block the attack, feeling pain as she was pushed back, where it died down as she looked and glared at V-Force, who moved in front of his teammates as they got up, while the Dark Legion moved around their leader, ready to continue fighting, before they all heard the sirens of the Odaiba police force coming from outside.

"This isn't over." The Night Queen declared in anger, where V-Force quickly launched at her, only for a dark portal to open up, swallowing the Dark Queen and her Dark Legion, which then closed before V-Force could deliver a clear strike, causing him to slam his fist into the ground in anger that the dark collective of villains had escaped once again, before he looked to his team, knowing that they all felt the same way.

-An hour later-

One of the advantages of having a superstar as a team member included the funds for a rather fancy base, and for the Protectors, having not only the penthouse, but several floors of the complex they were in as their base was a bonus for them all.

Within the penthouse itself, which was like a two floor apartment, Davis let out a sigh as he sat on the main couch in the room, having discarded his armour and helmet and returned to wearing his more casual attire, along with Tai, TK and Mikey, while Takuya and Zoe's forms glowed in a red and pink energy, their forms then turning into amulets the pair wore as they returned to their normal attire as well.

Meanwhile, Vixen's form glowed and turned into a ring she wore on her right hand, resembling a fox's head, where the red haired model then let out her own sigh as she moved over to Henry, who sat in a chair with Suzie at his side and Angie next to them, both having removed their face masks, along with Henry, as a figure was knelt on his knee, an older man with short, blue hair, black coloured eyes that were behind a pair of glasses and a doctor's outfit, checking the tai chi hero's burn marks.

Joe Kido had been a longtime friend of Davis, TK, Tai, Mimi and Izzy, not only being a well-respected doctor, but one of the few people the Protectors trusted with all their identities.

As Joe remained by Henry's side, checking on the injuries he had sustained, a little worried for him, Suzie had to ask. "So will my brother be alright?"

"He'll be fine." Joe assured with a trusting smile toward the young girl, drawing his attention to Henry as he withdrew container of cream and told him. "Just apply this ointment twice a day and you should be back in the hero business in a day or two."

Izzy, meanwhile, walked up the steps from the floor below, having placed his Hitech armour in its power alcove to recharge, along with the other versions of his armour he made based on different situations, where he walked up to a series of computers and monitors, looking at the screens along with Mimi, who still wore her Lilly outfit, minus the mask, and a young boy, around Suzie's age, with brown hair and green eyes, wearing an Odaiba Middle School Uniform, who was sitting in a chair as he monitored the data.

Cody Hida, a friend of the Protectors who actually figured their identities out on his own using his great intellect to identify several of the heroes and theorizing the identities of those he had yet to know, but when he confronted them on it, instead of ousting them, he surprised them by asking if he could help in any way he could, so he volunteered to help man the monitoring system and communication network Izzy had set up for the Protectors to find out what was going on in the city, and how they would respond to it.

The group looked over the security camera footage, or at least what they could, as Stryker's tech seemed to scrub most of them clean, of their battle, especially their fight with the Night Queen herself.

"I know her reputation is well earned, but seeing her fight is something else altogether." Cody commented, feeling a slight shiver as he watched the merciless ways the villainess fought, how she showed her dark powers and thrashed those around her.

Things had changed for all of Odaiba when the Night Queen first appeared three years prior, and her acts of evil had left the entire city in terror of what she was capable of, from having single handedly taken down some of the greatest heroes in the city, to unleashing an army of shadow demons from the Dark Realm, including a massive colossus of darkness that leveled half the city before it was defeated, to her more insidious scheme when she used her power to place the entire city council under her thrall, having used them to try and outlaw heroes and turn them into the public enemy, before her plot was revealed and those under her control were freed from her spell.

Many had theories on the arch villainess' origin, with some believing she was some ancient, forgotten sorceress whose goal is to reclaim her ancient throne, while others think she is a young girl, a protege of magic the world hasn't seen in thousands of years, and had fallen to the darkness.

The one thing most people could agree on was that she was in some way connected to Zhaitan, the Dark One, a being that ruled the Dark Realm and brought dark magic to their world in ancient times.

Cody moved out of the way to let Izzy sit, while Rika moved nearby as they brought up an image of the dark book, as well as the writing that was inside of the statue.

"Whatever that book contains, those that put it in there wanted it forgotten, even its name is not mentioned, only that it was locked away to make sure its power was never used by mortals." The red haired mystic heroine said, able to read the ancient writing, knowing that the old kingdom was once a haven of magic before its fall, and that most magic in the world could trace its origins to that ancient time.

Looking at the book, Rika then turned to the others and said. "But whatever she has planned for it, the Night Queen can't do any time soon. It appears as though there are some powerful seals upon the book, keeping it locked, and while I know she can open them, it will take time even for her to remove them."

"Then we need to find and put a stop to the Night Queen's plans." Nene declared as she entered the room, remaining in her Songbird costume, save the vest she was wearing, where the young idol entered with a tray of drinks, wanting to show her hospitality to her friends as she handed Rika a drink of water, before moving to the couch, bending a little as she offered Davis a glass with a smile on her face.

"Here you go, Davis." The idol said with a smile, a part of her hoping the maroon haired boy before her was taking in the sight, while mentally smirking as she felt Rika's eyes boring into the back of her head.

Most of the others sighed at the exchange, knowing that both girls had a not so secret crush on their leader, which Mimi, Angie, Zoe and Suzie couldn't really find fault in as, along with his handsome face and muscular tanned body, Davis' kind and considerate personality made him a guy most girls would dream of.

"Thanks, Nene." Davis said with a polite smile as he took the glass into his own and began to drink, allowing the contents to pour down his throat, leaving many of the girls to just stand around and eye Davis.

However, while most of the girls held some form of attraction to him, the maroon haired hero was oblivious to it all, having another woman he cared for that occupied his heart.

'Sorry, girls. He's spoken for.' Tai then though with a smirk as he saw Nene deflate a little at the plain kindness Davis responded with, while Rika smirked, the brunette finding it funny, with one being a top model, and the other an idol and movie star, that they could have any guy they wanted, but in the end, they both hopelessly tried to get the attention of the one guy they can't have.

"Anyway, we should all get some rest. Until the Legion makes their next move, there isn't much we can go on." Davis then said, before looking at TK and Takuya as he added with a light laugh. "Besides, some of us have exams tomorrow."

"Great, you had to remind me." Takuya said back with a deadpan look, causing the other heroes and heroines to laugh lightly as they all got up to leave, where Davis saw Izzy still sitting in front of the computer, typing away as he continued to analyze the data he had gathered during their encounter.

"Izzy, that goes for you as well. Get some rest and we'll pick it up tomorrow." Davis call with seriousness in his voice, knowing that the redhead tech hero meant well, but knew he needed rest himself.

"Just one sec. I'm trying to analyze Stryker's attack patterns and..." Izzy started to say, before stopping as he felt a weight on him, where he looked and blushed to see Mimi, who stared at him with a cute and playful smile as she sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as she looked into his eyes.

"Izzy, I know you mean well, but it can wait. We did a number on all of them, so we won't be seeing the Legion again, at least not tonight. So please, let's get something to eat and take our minds off this for tonight, for me?" Mimi asked with a continued cuteness in her voice as she caressed Izzy's cheek, smirking internally as she imagined the hamster on its wheel in Izzy's mind coming to a halt.

Most of the group smirked at the scene, while Tai and Takuya sweat dropped at what they were seeing, and what the older brunette remembered about the pair over the years, as normally it was the nerdy guy who chased after the hot girl, but in their case, it was a reversed situation, with Mimi always trying to get Izzy's attention.

With that, the group all left for the night, ready to go about their normal lives in the morning, before continuing their hero work once again the following night.

-The next day-

As Davis and TK walked down the hallways of their school to their lockers, Davis kept a smile on his face, despite sweat dropping, while TK looked around with a nervous laugh as every girl they passed looked at Davis with hearts in their eyes.

As one of the school's top students, as well as captain of the Odaiba High soccer team, the maroon haired boy had a large fan base, as well as more than a few guys who wanted to kick his ass because of it, evident by some of the more aggressive students glaring at the pair as they went by.

But Davis ignored it all, opening his locker and getting his books, not caring what others thought as he had no interest in any of those girls because his heart belonged to another.

"You look beat, another rough night?" Davis then heard a familiar and sweet voice asked from the other side of his locker door, causing him to smile as he closed it, where his smile grew to see the love of his life, the girl he had cared for ever since he was a small child, Tai's younger sister, Kari Kamiya.

Looking at her, Davis smiled, finding Kari as beautiful as ever, finding a welcoming gleam in her hazel eyes, which continued to brighten his day.

Kari kept her hair short and had set a pink pin within the left side, framing her face, where Davis remained smiling at her, thinking how cute she was, as well as how beautiful she had become over the years as his eyes quickly moved down, checking out her figure, finding the brunette's body was as amazing as ever, thanks in no small part to her time as head cheerleader.

Davis had first met Kari when they were six, and since then, the two had been nearly inseparable as friends.

Davis was even there on that fateful day, when a car accident took the lives of the Kamiya's parents, a time that left both siblings, Kari especially, devastated, but Davis stood by her the whole time, doing all he could to keep Kari's spirits lifted, knowing he could never take away Kari's pain completely, but he could at least help her deal with it.

To Davis, she was the reason he became a hero, using the powers he seemed to gain out of nowhere one day to keep the world safe, and to keep Kari smiling, no matter what.

Many had wondered when, not if, the pair would ever get together, as they both seemed to tip top around the issue, staying close friends but never getting too close, while those who knew Davis' secret knew the reason why, knowing that he feared what could happen to her if his hero identity was revealed, believing others would use Kari in order to get to him, a thought that filled Davis with dread, especially if the Night Queen managed to get a hold of Kari.

It was also the attraction Kari seemed to have with Davis that also made him the envy of many guys, including TK, who tried not to look jealous as he watched the pair talk, a part of him wishing that Kari would look at him the way she did Davis, but knew that she seemed to only have eyes for Davis, and knew his maroon haired friend felt vice versa.

"Hey, lovebirds! Come on, we have class!" Another familiar voice then cut in, causing Davis, Kari and TK to look over to see Takuya, Zoe and two of their other friends, Kenta and Kazu, waving to them, where the three nodded to one another as they went about their normal school day.

-Later-

Leaving school, Davis continued to remain by Kari's side as he walked the brunette home, the pair enjoying their time together as they made their way from the Odaiba High School and to the apartment complex that Kari lived at.

"Hey, I'm busy tonight, but... want to catch a movie tomorrow night?" Davis offered, where Kari smiled brightly as she replied happily. "Sure. I would love that. I'm glad you didn't ask tonight though, I have so much homework to do."

"Well if you ever need a hand, I am here." Davis offered, remaining in his caring state for Kari, who was about to reply, only to stop as she noticed they were no longer alone.

Looking ahead, Davis and Kari smiled to see Tai, as well as a woman by his side, who had short orange hair, light brown eyes and was currently wearing a light orange tank top and a pair of blue jeans, showing off her figure, while keeping a close hold on Tai as she smiled, clearly enjoying the company of the older Kamiya.

This was Sora Takenouchi, Tai's girlfriend and someone Davis and Kari had known for years, where the pair approached the couple.

"Hey. Sora and I were just on a quick date before we had to head out." Tai said, looking at Davis, who nodded lightly in reply, before blushing a little as Sora moved in and got very close to him.

"You know, if I wasn't dating Tai, I would be all over you this very minute." Sora said with a smirk, before giggling lightly, loving how she could make Davis fluster like that, while Tai and Kari sighed, knowing that Sora was teasing Davis once again.

"Anyway, you boys stay out of trouble tonight, and we expect to see you two later." Kari said to Davis and Tai with a mock sternness in her tone, causing both to smile, where they turned and headed off to their 'Jobs,' making sure that the two women in their lives would never know about their hero lives and would stay safe.

-A little bit later-

In the air above the ocean, just a few miles off the coast of Odaiba, something massive seemed to turn visible in the night sky.

Lowering from the clouds, a gigantic construct of stone floated just above the waters, where it was spread out like an enormous ring, while in the centre of the mass was a dark tower-like formation.

This was the base of the Dark Legion, the outer perimeter the main training and research areas of the Legion, while the centre was the domain of the Dark Queen, where she conducted her plans, only allowing her followers inside should she require their assistance.

Within the main training halls, Yolei leapt around, using her blades to cut through training drones Ken had set up for her, with some creating holographic images of Darkblade, causing her to laugh wickedly as she cut them down, making sure to deliver clear and deadly blows to each target.

Meanwhile, her lover was nearby, working on a computer terminal as he analyzed what data he could gather on the Protectors, while Ryo and Tagiru spared, the fusion based villain having taken his mask off, revealing his wild brunette coloured hair, as well as his amber eyes and a wicked smile.

Nearby, Namami sat on a throne of vines, lazily watching the sparring before her, as well as watching Michael and Ryouma using some of the drones as target practice, making it a little more interesting and seeing who could get more headshots within a set time limit.

Jeri, meanwhile, sat at a table nearby, deep in thought and reading through scrolls and books the Night Queen gave her as she studied more dark magic that she could us, wanting her power to be of worth to her Mistress.

And while there was no sign of Airu, the villains knew that she was in her quarters, most likely having some 'fun' with some unlucky individual that had caught her attention.

Looking down from a balcony above, the Night Queen looked down at her followers, seeing their sparring and attempts to improve themselves, while Red Phoenix waited patiently behind her, remaining on one knee and with her head bowed as she showed her undying devotion to her Mistress.

The pair then moved, with the fiery villainess following the Night Queen as they made their way into the inner sanctum, seeing dozens of Shadow demonic figures, beings brought to this world from the Dark Realm by the arch villainess' dark power to server her, roaming around, while others that resembled lesser version of Shadowknight with swords stood at attention, before finding the dark warrior himself standing guard before a set of doors, where he moved to allow his Mistress inside.

Within the dimly lit room, the two villainesses saw the Dark Book resting on a podium, a series of symbols around it, forcing dark energy into it as the seals all glowed brightly, save for two.

"I have already cracked two seals, but it will take time before all seals are undone." The Night Queen said as she took her mask off, smirking as she looked at the book with her own eyes.

For Kari Kamiya, the day her parents died shattered her in ways unimaginable.

Even with her brother and those around her trying to support her, it wasn't enough, and one day, while walking out with Tai after the incident, she found a bookstore unlike any other.

Upon entering it, she found herself drawn through the sections of literature and to a book hidden in the back, one that was said to allow one to speak with those beyond the mortal realm.

Hoping to speak with her parents, the young girl opened it, and indeed found herself talking with something beyond her world, but it wasn't her parents, nor some random demonic being, but the Dark One, Zhaitan himself.

And from there, they had formed a pact; with the Dark One showing her magic beyond anything she could imagine, as well as showing her the truth of the world, finding that no matter what she, Tai or anybody tried to do, there would always be chaos, despair and disorder.

And so Kari found her goal in life, to ascend, to end this corrupt world and remake it into one without suffering, without pain.

Most would have lost themselves to madness at the darkness that now ran through her, but Kari kept a light within her, one that helped her in her darkest times, the love of her life, Davis Motomiya, the one she would elevate with her and rule over the new world with, once she had dealt with the Protectors and their insolent leader, V-Force.

"Do not worry, my Mistress, we will finish the Protectors off next time." Red Phoenix said as she too took her mask off, revealing herself as Sora Takenouchi.

Not long after Kari began to gain her new powers and her dark destiny, Sora had stayed home with the young brunette for a weekend while Tai was out, and during that time, the orange haired girl thought Kari would be interested and maybe cheer up a bit by showing her the power Sora had seemingly gained, her pyrokinetics.

This had proven to have been a mistake for the orange haired girl, as Kari then placed her mark on Sora, a powerful dark spell that bound the older girl to her will, brainwashing Sora and creating the murderous and psychotic villainess she was now, leaving Sora compelled to obey Kari without question and loving every moment of servitude.

"We'll see to it. Once V-Force is gone, I will remake this world, and Davis will be at my side as it happens." Kari said with a dark smile, imagining the world in flames as she embraced the maroon haired boy from her quarters.

"And I'll get to keep Tai too, right?" Sora asked with an almost obsessive look on her face, causing Kari to chuckle a little, for no matter what she did to the orange haired girl's mind, Sora's love for her older brother was something she could not erase, not that she wanted to.

"Of course." Kari said, moving closer to her second in command, where she cupped Sora's cheek with her left hand and told her. "While I will rule with my Davis, I promise that Tai will join you, even if I have to mark him as I did you."

A dark smile spread across Sora's face as she imagined herself with Tai, before both villainesses looked to see the door to the room slide open and Fang to step in, who looked at the pair and said. "Oh good, masks off then."

Removing his helmet, Fang showed his true face, Matt Ishida, TK's older, estranged brother, who had more than enough run ins with the law before taking the villain life, and one of the only few people who knew the Night Queen's real identity.

"So how long will it take to open that thing?" Matt asked as he looked at the book, feeling a weird vibe coming off of it.

"A month or so, but in the end, it will be worth the wait." Kari replied with a dark smile as she moved closer to the book, where she then said with matching dark tone. "A new world is coming, one the 'Heroes' will not be able to stop, and any who stand in our way, in MY way, will suffer!"

Within the Dark Realm, the Dark One, Zhaitan, watched with a smirk on his face as the events played out, where he said. "**The board is set, now the games begin..."**

Author's Note: Welcome to a new story, a new setting, and a new look at the characters you all know. And do not worry, more heroes, and many more villains, will come in this story.


	2. Chapter 2

It was midday in downtown Odaiba, but it was anything but peaceful as large hulking humanoid creatures, standing between twelve and fifteen feet, bulging muscles covered their bodies as they rampaged through the area, smashing and destroying anything in their path.

And aside from their immense feats of strength, razor sharp fangs filled their dripping maws, using them to tear through even bare metal as one ripped the hood of a car off.

Above them, letting out an amused laugh, was a single figure in a full body black mech suit, with four pairs of energy wings coming out of his back and a long, mechanical tail, while having claw-like feet for boots and a V shaped head that looked almost like a dragon's.

His left arm had a claw like hand and an energy gun on it, while the right had a green energy blade on it.

This being was the mercenary villain named Kouki Tsubasa, better known as Black Wyvern, in honour of the prototype power suit he stole long ago, and used to his delight.

"Alright, now this is fun!" Kouki yelled with a dark grin behind his helmet, which grew as he heard sirens, seeing dozens of Odaiba PD vehicles heading their way, along with other police forces as he then thought. 'And it's about to get even more intense...'

With rising crime throughout the city over the years, especially when it came to criminals with super powers, the Odaiba Police Department realized that it was severely outgunned, and needed some reforms if they were to keep up with the rising threats to the city.

And so, under the direction of the Police Commissioner, Richard Sampson, and with the help of some heroes like Hitech, the Police introduced several new divisions to help fight crime, including a power armoured division and a robotic division, as evident as Black Wyvern saw the police unload a large, white and blue robot to help them fight his current employer's pets, along with several tech armoured officer.

"Stand down or we will use force." The sergeant in command ordered as the officers took positions to battle the mutant creatures, while Black Wyvern laughed as he replied. "Are you kidding? We're just getting started!"

Several ports opened on the mercenary's shoulders as dozens of rockets fired out, causing the cops to move back as their cars were destroyed, before the mutant creatures charged in at the cops, several of which jumped at the robot, which managed to knock one out, before it was ripped apart by their brute strength.

"That's it, kick their asses!" Black Wyvern yelled in an amused tone, watching the powered armoured cops fire shoulder rockets at the creatures, only for them not to be phased, before one of the beasts jumped at a group of cops, ready to rip them apart.

However, before it could land, the creature was hit in the side of his face by a powerful punch, one that sent it flying across the street, slamming into a wall and breaking it as its body collapsed on the ground, confusing Black Wyvern, before he looked and was shocked to see seven new arrivals now standing before the police force, who all cheered and saluted their backup.

Though the men and women of law were glad at the arrival of the group, Black Wyvern glared behind his helmet, annoyed to see who had shown up as he took in their forms, recognizing them as the StarCorps, the elite division of deputized heroes that were apart of the Odaiba PD, first recognizing Fighting Fury, also known to his fellow officers as Marcus Damon, at the front.

Fighting Fury was a hero who used his immense strength in battle over his wits, with the hero wearing a red and orange armoured suit over his chest, running up to his neck, while an orange visor covered his eyes, but allowing his auburn coloured hair and smirk to be shown.

And showing his devotion to the Odaiba police force, he wore an orange jacket that had the Odaiba PD logo upon the back, while set around his hands were a set of metal gauntlets.

By his side was a tall, shapely female, clad in a dark gray suit that covered her whole body, clinging to it like a second skin, while opening on the sides of her stomach, revealing her skin, as well as an opening on her chest, showing off her D sized breasts.

Wrapped around her thighs were two pistol holders with two high tech pistols inside of them, while strapped to her back were two metal tech batons.

A tech visor covered her eyes, but allowed her to see a flow of information about what she was around her.

Finally, over her top was a grey vest with the symbol of the Odaiba police department on it.

This was Quickshot, known to her team and peers as Yoshi Fujieda, a tech heroine who lived up to her heroine's name as one of the best marksman on the force.

Standing on Fighting Fury's other side was the hero, Cobalt Warrior, better known as Thomas Norstein, a master of swordsmanship and of great intellect.

He wore a tech armor that resembled a knight's armor, covering his entire being in a cobalt shine.

And like his allies, he too wore the Odaiba PD logo, though they were marked on each of his shoulders.

A long blue cape flowed down his back, leaving two swords strapped to his back and hidden behind his cape, allowing him both easy access to his weaponry and a small advantage for those who had yet to find his weapon of choice.

And just like Fighting Fury and Quickshot, a tech visor covered his eyes, allowing him to take in data on the events around him.

Joining the three and by Quickshot's side was the youngest member of the StarCorps, Midnight Raven, known also to his teammates as Keenan Crier, a master of ninjutsu, having studied the art for years and dedicated to using his abilities for the greater good.

The young ninja hero wore a black robe and a pair of black pants, keeping a small pouch attached to the side as to allow him access to his array of various ninja tools, while his mouth and nose were covered by a black face mask, while his eyes were covered by a tech visor as well.

Around his outfit, he wore a jacket similar to Fighting Fury's, only his was a lighter shade of black, but still held the Odaiba PD logo on it.

The last two members of the group were both females, dressed in similar outfits to Quickshot's, hugging and showing off their slender figures, only they did not have the same equipment that the gunslinging heroine had, where one was a raven haired beauty in a black version of the outfit, the other a blonde and dressed in white.

These were Shadow Walker and Starlight, known also as Miki Kurosaki and Megumi Shirakawa, who both controlled the elements of darkness and light respectively, even able to combine their powers to form dark matter.

The pair then clenched their hands, each glowing with a dark and light auras as the team of deputized heroes and heroines glared at Black Wyvern and the mutants, who glared back as the creatures began to circle the StarCorps.

"Alright, Attack Pattern Beta! We need to take them down fast." Cobalt Warrior said as he gave the code name for one of their team's attack plans, knowing one of his allies would be happy with it.

"No complaints here." Fighting Fury said back, quickly leaping into action as he charged at the closest creature he could find and began to let out his might, gathering an orange hue within his fists, before throwing a series of punches, each strike dealing a tremendous amount of damage to the creature, before delivering a powerful punch as he slammed his right fist into its face, sending it flying back and crashing into several cars, before collapsing face first onto the ground and into an unconscious state.

But not letting up, Fighting Fury charged ahead, finding more of the creatures, showing them the same wrath as he slammed his fists into their beings, his attacks relentless as he punched and smashed the creatures that got in his path.

Joining in on the action, but keeping her distance, Quickshot drew her pistols from her holsters and began to open fire, blasting the creatures with a series of pin point energy shots, continuing to fire as her actions drew the attention of some of the beasts, where they began to rush at her.

Managing to shoot down all but a handful, stunning the creatures with her blasts, Quickdraw set her pistols back and quickly withdrew her batons, using her speed and grace as she blocked each swing and lunging bite, before striking back, slamming her batons upon the figures, causing them great pain, as well as knocking out several fangs in the process as they fell unconscious to the ground.

Meanwhile, Cobalt Warrior withdrew his swords, which shone in the sunlight, before he rushed with incredible speed, circling around one of the mutants and cutting it down, before quickly turning and slashing another, causing it to cry out in pain, before delivering a swift kick to the beast's head, knocking it out as it fell to the floor.

Handling his own, Midnight Raven took on his on opposing creatures, keeping his distance as he fought his enemy, where he withdrew several shuriken from his hip pouch and threw them, each striking into the foreheads of the rampaging monsters and causing them to collapse from the lethal shots delivered.

While his back was turned, one tried to attack, bringing up its arms and was about to slam them down, only for the ninja hero to use another of his techniques, drawing and throwing a smoke bomb to the ground, concealing his form and causing the ground to shatter to bits where he had been standing as the abomination brought its gigantic arms down.

Feeling something on its back, the creature turned to see Midnight Raven upon its form, before watching as the ninja hero jumped back and lost his battle stance, where the rage within the creature grew, its mind thinking it was being mocked.

But before it could so much as take a step forward, hearing a slight hissing from its back, the creature turned its head, seeing its back imprinted with a handful of explosive paper seals, which then detonated, destroying the beast as it was consumed in a powerful blast.

Finally, Shadow Walker and Starlight were back to back as the remaining creatures surrounded them, where the pair were firing blasts of light and dark energy from their hands, moving in sync as they took out the creatures before they could get close to the pair, combining their power from time to time to cast out beams of dark matter, which disintegrated the oncoming hordes, a sight that angered Black Wyvern greatly.

"Damn you wannabe heroes!" The mercenary yelled as he pointed his left arm at Quickshot, where the gun built into it began to open fire, causing the gun slinging heroine to move, looking for cover as she returned fire, only for her shots to impact on what appeared to be an energy shield around the villain's suit.

"Gonna have to do better than that to get to me, cutie!" Black Wyvern mocked, hating Quickshot as a heroine, but from the way her suit held her figure, he liked her as a woman.

"Watch it, freak!" A voice yelled behind him, where the mercenary had no time to reach as, a powerful blow hit him from behind, causing him to crash into the ground.

And though his shield protected him from damage, the impact still annoyed him as he got up and saw Fighting Fury with Cobalt Warrior and Midnight Raven glaring at him as they got into fighting stances.

"I don't care who you are, no one messes with me!" Black Wyvern yelled as an energy blade grew out of his right arm, where his energy wings grew in power as he rushed at the trio of heroes, hoping to cut them down, only for them to move, where he saw Fighting Fury's right fist glow once again with the same orange energy, only now it was crackling with a further power.

Leaping at Black Wyvern, Fighting Fury delivered a powerful blow to the villain's side, cracking through his barrier and sending him flying into a nearby building.

Recovering from the attack and now angered, the merc slowly moved the rubble off of him, ready to fire his rockets at the heroes, only for Cobalt Warrior and Midnight Raven to be on him, with the bladed hero swinging his blades, cutting the gun off of Black Wyvern's left arm, while Midnight Raven threw several kunai, which made contact with Black Wyvern's right arm, damaging and disabling the circuitry within, thus disabling his energy arm, before Quickshot, Shadow Walker and Starlight unleashed a barrage of their respective forms of energy at the villain, damaging his suit as he saw warning signals within his helmet's display.

"Damn you!" Black Wyvern yelled as he activated his jets and took off, hoping to get back to the safety of his current employer.

"We're good here, go after him." The Sergeant said to the StarCorps as the other police officers rounded up the surviving mutants, restraining and handcuffing them, where the deputized heroes and heroines nodded and gave chase to the villain who led this attack.

-Several minutes later-

"Why did he have to lead us into the sewers?" Starlight asked with a whine as she looked around the area, disgusted by the smell as she held her right hand out, using her power and acting as a light source for her team as they followed the path Black Wyvern ran down.

"Seems fitting for a rat like Black Wyvern." Quickshot commented in reply, expressing her disdain for the mercenary.

"Wyvern's just the hired muscle, we need to find who he's working for, the one most likely is responsible for those creatures." Cobalt Warrior then added with a serious tone, chasing the others to nod in reply, before they heard the faint yelling of a heated argument ahead of them.

"You didn't say anything about those damn hero cops, my pay just tripled!" Black Wyvern yelled, before they heard another man yell back. "You should have anticipated such a threat."

"You have faced them before, so by now you should know their weaknesses and how to destroy each of them. I gave you my pets to do so!" The figure yelled, just as the StarCorps approached a door with light coming out of it, where they opened the door lightly to see Black Wyvern and another figure yelling at one another.

"Easier said than done, old man! And your 'pets' were just paperweights to them!" The merc yelled in anger, while the deputized heroes got a good look at the figure he was talking to, finding Black Wyvern was looking down and talking to an older man, who was wearing a lab coat.

He had short dark hair, spectacles that rested on his nose, alongside a dark and sinister vibe toward him, one that sent chills down Starlight and Shadow Walker's spines.

Pressing the side of her visor, Quickshot took a scan of the scientist's face, before the facial recognition system brought up the man's identification as she read quietly. "Akihiro Kurata, former lead bio-engineering scientist at Odaiba University, suspended for illegal experimentation."

"Which he's apparently continued." Fighting Fury then added with a growl as he saw the various test tubs all over the makeshift lab, seeing several unfinished versions of the mutants they fought above inside of the tanks.

Looking at one another and nodding, Fighting Fury kicked the door open, startling the two occupants as they saw the StarCorps enter the lab, with Quickshot pointing her guns at him, Shadow Walker and Starlight pointing their glowing fists, and the three males preparing to fight.

"You lead them here!" Kurata yelled at Black Wyvern, who looked at the older man and said back. "You're on your own, pal! Consider my contract over!"

Using what energy he had stored within his jet thrusters, the merc blasted himself through a nearby wall, ignoring the debris and quickly heading down a newly revealed tunnel.

"There is no way they'll catch..." Black Wyvern started to say, before something hit the back of his suit, sending out an electric current that knocked the merc unconscious, where several armed men surrounded him.

Back in the lab, the StarCorps decided to deal with Kurata first before going after Black Wyvern, where Cobalt Warrior said with authority. "Kurata, you are charged with illegal human experiments, causing chaos to the public and, though minor, damage to police equipment and personnel."

"In other words, you can come the easy way, or our way." Fighting Fury then added with a smirk as his slammed his right fist into his left palm as his body began to crackle with the orange energy again as Kurata looked at them fearfully, slowly walking back into his work station, where he gained a dark smirk as he grabbed a syringe with a black liquid inside of it.

"I think we'll do this MY way!" Kurata said back with an insane laugh as he plunged the syringe into his neck, causing the heroes to look on with worry, especially when the mad scientist began to cry out in pain as his body began to warp and twist itself.

Dropping the syringe and falling to his knees, Fighting Fury and the others watched with high alert as Kurata stopped his cries and began to snarl, watching as his small frame suddenly grew and intensified, his muscles expanding to the point they ripped through his lab coat.

Clenching his fingers into the ground, the others saw the skin around the tips rip open, turning into claws, alongside his feet as they burst through his shoes.

As his skin began to turn to a dark shade of brown, from his tailbone, a long tail extended, slithering around as it seemed to react and get used to being part of Kurata's body.

And as his pupils shrunk, his eyes turning a deep red, the scientist gave a feral roar as he rose, showing his transformation, revealing the animalistic rage in his expression.

"Ok... now he looks even creeper." Midnight Raven commented, before the StarCorps sprang into action, with Fighting Fury rushing in to deliver a punch, only to be quickly knocked to the side by the mutated Kurata's right arm.

"Fury!" Quickshot yelled in concern as she began to firing the electric shock blasts from her pistols at the beast's head, causing it to let out a roar of annoyance as Kurata then charged at her, causing her to barely be able to move out of the way.

At seeing two of their teammates in harm's way, Cobalt Warrior and Midnight Raven acted as one, both rushing at the abomination Kurata had become, Cobalt Warrior drawing his blade, Midnight Raven drawing a kunai, where the duo moved in, using their speed to deliver a series of deep cuts upon Kurata's being, causing him to roar at the pain.

However, Kurata retaliated, slamming his fists to the ground, tearing it up and causing a shockwave that threw the pair back, while causing the supports for the room to shake slightly.

Shadow Walker and Starlight, meanwhile, got in front of Quickshot, Cobalt Warrior and Midnight Raven, using their combined attacks to try and halt Kurata as he slowly marched towards them, ready to crush the heroes beneath his claws.

However, before he could move any further, the mutated villain felt something grab his tail, and grab it hard, where he was forcibly swung around and thrown into the nearby wall, letting out a roar as he got up, his red eyes widening to see Fighting Fury glaring at him, only now, the energy he emitted was now an aura around him, causing his hair to move with the energy as his eyes crackled with the orange power.

'He's going all out.' Cobalt Warrior thought, knowing that, while his friend was incredibly powerful like this, that he could not maintain this level of power for too long without harming himself in the process.

Reacting to the sight of Fighting Fury powering up, Kurata gave a fearsome roar before he lunged himself at the fighter hero, his claws drawn out as he prepared to tear Fighting Fury limb by limb.

But showing his power, Fighting Fury struck back, quickly closing the distance between him and Kurata as his foot slammed into the mutant's stomach so hard, that the beast was sent flying upwards, breaking right through the ceiling and up through the surface, where the mutated form that was Kurata was in slight shock to see itself mid-air above the streets.

Looking up, the mutant's eyes then widened to see Fighting Fury now above him, a look of pure determination and anger on his face as his right arm was brimming with energy, before the hero slammed his fist into Kurata's face, the sheer force and the impact of the attack sending the mutant crashing down and into the ground with a mighty uproar of dust and debris.

When the dust cleared and Fighting Fury landed, the energy around him dying as he tried to catch his breath, the hero saw Kurata, still in his mutated form, but now completely unconscious as his team came to up to check on him, where he gave the rest of the StarCorps a thumbs up as they heard sirens from nearby.

-Later-

After securing the mutated scientist and his experiments, hailing Kurata's still unconscious form to a high level prison, the StarCorps returned to their base at the main police station where, after reporting to the Commissioner on the events, a rather comical scene was playing out in the team's office.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to use your full power?! Last time you were in a body cast for a month!" Yoshi yelled in anger at Marcus, who laughed nervously at his teammate, and girlfriend's, anger.

"Look, I did what I had to. I did stop Kurata after all, right?" Marcus asked in reply, defending himself, but found Yoshi still glaring at him, her arms crossed as she remained in her annoyed mood.

"Hey guys, lets calm down, ok? We did good today, Kurata's behind bars along with what's left of his mutants, let's call it a win ok?" Miki cut in as she tried to keep the peace, where Marcus pumped his fist up and yelled. "You're right, lets celebrate! Drinks are on me!"

"I can't drink, remember?" Keenan replied with an annoyed look, where Marcus shrugged and added. "Fine, I'll ask Kristy to join in too. I know that will keep you busy."

Marcus grinned as he saw the younger member of the team blush a little, knowing that his younger sister had a crush on Keenan, and knew that he felt similar.

"Fine, but remember, you ARE paying!" Yoshi then said as she poked Marcus in the chest, as to prove her point, before walking out ahead of him, where a smile formed on her face, happy that her boyfriend was alright and that they did win today.

As they were leaving, however, Miki turned to see Thomas still at his desk, where she asked. "Aren't you coming, Thomas?"

"I'll catch up, I need to finish my report for today." The blond tactician of the group said in reply, causing Miki to nod as she chased down the hallway towards the rest of the StarCorps.

Seeing that he was now alone, Thomas took out his cellphone and hit speed dial on a number he had saved as he listened for the response.

Over at Odaiba High, Davis, who had just finished soccer practice, and was heading into the locker rooms to change and go have a meal with Kari, heard his phone ring, where he reached into his bag and pulled it out, seeing the familiar number as he answered. "Hey, Thomas."

"V-Force." Thomas merely replied on his end, having long ago deduced the hero's identity, but kept it a secret, as to form a mutual friendship between the police and the Protectors.

"If you have a moment, we need to talk." Thomas then added as he pulled out some files from his desk.

"Sure thing, Thomas. One sec." Davis replied, acting like it was a normal phone call to not arouse suspicions, before he entered an empty classroom and took a seat at one of the back desks, where he then said. "What's up? I heard you guys had quite a fight earlier. Sorry we couldn't be there to help."

"It's understandable, you guys need to keep up appearances as well. That's one of the reasons StarCorps was developed." Thomas replied, before adding as he rotated his neck a little. "And yes, it was quite a fight, but sadly Black Wyvern slipped away."

"He'll turn up when he gets his next paycheck." Davis replied, before adding. "But that's not what you wanted to talk about."

"No, it isn't. For the past three years, the crime rate in the city has slowly increased, and we both know why." Thomas said, while Davis frowned, knowing that it correlated with the Night Queen's debut.

"A Golden Age of Heroes, while an age of peace, is also an age of suppression. Every time a villain would rise up, the heroes would knock them down, and so criminals would rather stay in the shadows then risk the wrath of Heroes." Thomas went on as he pulled out the file he had on the Night Queen, which didn't have that much on her identity or her powers, just on what she's done so far.

"But since the Night Queen arrived, villains have been embolden, seeing her as a symbol to follow. Three years ago it was just her before Red Phoenix joined in a month after, then Fang a few months after that. Now three years later, her 'Dark Legion' numbers thirteen. Imagine what could happen in another year or two?" Thomas then added as he looked at the files on the other members of the Dark Legion, some with the villains real identities, some missing, as their real faces have never been seen before.

Davis, meanwhile, tried to block out the image that came to mind, seeing the Night Queen at the head of an army of villains as Odaiba burned around them.

"Somehow, I don't think building an army is her goal at the moment, not after the museum heist." Davis then said, which Thomas agreed with as he then added. "You are right, but we still need to find her and put a stop to her before the Legion can grow."

"Fortunately, it seems we're not alone in this fight." Thomas then added as he took out four folders and added. "We've been looking at a rather young group of new heroes calling themselves the 'Vigilant' for some time now."

"Yeah, I've heard their name a few times, but I haven't seen them or know too much about them." Davis said in reply, while Thomas looked at the photos of four young heroes, a few years younger than Davis he believed, but none of their true faces.

"They're been operating in the background recently, and they've been in contact with the vigilante, Infiltrator, for some time it seems." Thomas added as he looked at a blurred photo of a man in a black hoodie, narrowing his eyes at super hacker that seems to be a Robin Hood style kind of figure, but one who refused to work with law enforcement.

"I know he's a wild card, but he's done some good. I just hope he's not using the Vigilant to his own advantage." Davis added, liking the idea of the young heroes but not the idea that they might be being used.

"Yeah well, it's who the Vigilant has been targeting that's got me concerned, as well as the Commissioner..." Thomas then said with worry.

-Meanwhile-

After coming too, Kouki found himself tied to a chair in a dim lit room, his Black Wyvern tech suit a few feet from him as he thrashed and yelled in anger. "What the hell?! Let me out or I'll make you regret it!"

"Calm down. The ropes were a precaution." Someone in the dark said, causing the merc to look forward as another light came on, where he saw a figure sitting in a chair before him, drinking tea.

Looking at the figure before him, Kouki guessed he was a businessman, and quite successful one at that, due to the sharp black suit he wore.

The figure had short silver hair, shining purple eyes and kept a calm and stoic smile on his face, but knowing the type, Kouki knew that this person had a dark agenda, knowing there was far more to this suit than first perceived.

It took the merc a moment before he realized who this young man was, Knight Unryuji, the young billionaire and CEO of KnightCorps, the largest conglomerate in all of Odaiba.

"Now then, I do apologize for the... abrupt way you were brought here, but discretion was necessary." Knight said calmly, before adding. "Your last employer has been... detained, and so I believe you are looking for a new line of work."

"I've been having some problems of late, one I believe you are somewhat familiar working against, and I am offering you a place on KnightCorps' Elite Security Team. Not only will you be paid triple what Kurata was paying you, but your suit will be upgraded with some of the best tech money can buy." Knight then offered where, when he mentioned the security team, Kouki say three figures standing in the shadows behind the young CEO.

"Alright, I'm listening." Kouki said in reply with a smirk, looking forward to seeing what his new employer had planned.


	3. Chapter 3

A few nights later, in a mostly abandoned warehouse district, several armed guards of KnightCorps' personal security force stood guard outside of one of the buildings, making sure no one, unintentional or otherwise, stumbled onto what was really going on inside, while looking down at them from the building across the way were four individuals, two looking with frowns on their faces, one with a frown behind his helmet, and the last doing his best to hold in a feral growl.

These were the Vigilant, a young group of heroes brought together to fight evil, especially those who hide their wicked deeds, like KnightCorps and, unlike other hero groups, keep their identities from one another, insuring that if one were ever captured or exposed, the rest of the team would be safe.

The first was the leader of the group, Responder, who wore a red tech suit that covered his entire being, where metal plating ran down his whole being, while set within his chest was a blue core, not only the source of his energy, but he too was able to cast off such energy as a weapon.

His face was concealed by a blue faceplate over his helmet, shaped in a V formation, where three spikes protruded from the helmet, one on each side and one running down the front.

Set upon his arms, shoulders and his kneecaps were smaller forms of the orb implanted within his chest, allowing for more long ranged laser attacks, while upon his back were a set of metallic golden lines, each flowing with a powerful blue energy, allowing Responder the added ability of flight.

Unbeknownst to his team, Responder's true name was Haru Shinkai, a junior at Odaiba High, a young genius and the one who not only brought the Vigilant together, but is the only one who knows each member by their really names, believing that this was the best way to protect those he considered his closest friends.

To the right of Responder was a smaller figure, a young boy that had wild blonde hair, small whisker-like markings on his cheeks, while a confident grin adorned his face.

The only thing keeping his identity a secret was the blue visor around his head, where a set of headphones upon his ears, leaving a small mic extending from the left side.

He wore a dark blue tracksuit, with an orange jacket over the top, with each of his arms lined up with what looked like small speakers set within the outfit, with the ends of his wrists lined up with a set of deep red bracelets.

A matching red belt was set around his waist, as were a pair of red anklets that connected to the orange boots he was wearing, where they too had been set with the same speaker equipment, set both around his boots and on the souls, while flowing around his neck was a deep red scarf.

This young hero was Frequency, known in secret as Torajiro Asuka, or Astora to those he called his close friends, and the youngest member of the Vigilant, where he used his love of music as his choice of signature weapon, where he was not only able to cast out sonic waves from the speakers set upon his being, creating sonic waves, disruptions to the sense of hearing and sight such as vertigo, but with his enthusiasm, he could cast it out through his speakers to invigorate his allies and those he believed need a boost in confidence.

As Frequency, Torajiro was carefree, determined, brave and a little reckless, the complete opposite to his alter ego outside of his hero persona, where he was more polite, quiet and behaved.

Neither Frequency or Torajiro's personalities were an act to throw off any who suspected him of being a superhero, this was actually how he was as was raised in a disciplined environment by his parents, who he loved and respected deeply, but as Frequency, he could let loose, to go off the normal rules he would abide by, allowing him a sense of freedom as he hit the town.

And continuing to keep up his grin, Frequency turned, admiring the lone heroine of their team, Cosmic Knockout.

Better known as Eri Karan, a junior at Odaiba High and member of the cheerleading squad, Cosmic Knockout used her fighting prowess as her superpower, having a set of metal gloves that covered her hands, adding to her superior strength.

Her outfit consisted of a skin tight light blue bodysuit, showing off her figure and her C-cup breasts, with a black jean jacket over her upper body.

She had tied her pink hair into a set of twintails on the sides of her head, where they spread out and just reached her shoulders.

And similar to Frequency's visor, Cosmic Knockout wore a light blue version, not only keeping her own identity secret to all, even her allies, but through the visor, she could keep in communications with her teammates, as well as monitor and access her surroundings, heightening her senses.

Lastly, and by Responder's left was the final hero of the Vigilant, though from his appearance, it was easily understandable for many to think this individual was a great threat to all.

Maintaining a humanoid figure, this being was covered in pitch black fur, having razor sharp fangs lined within his mouth, claws along each finger, as well as a furred tail that poked through a pair of ripped pants.

Looking more of a beast than a man, more like a werewolf, the figure had intimidated many with his appearance, but Responder and the Vigilant knew that he was to be trusted, able to control himself, not only through his will, but through the various cybernetics that ran along his being, where various wires and cables ran along his body, set upon his wrists were a set of long steel blades, while a specially crafted visor was set upon his head, giving him the same access to communicate with his allies and assess his surroundings.

This was Razor Wolf, also known as Yujin Ozoa, a junior at Odaiba High that was abducted one night but KnightCorps' thugs, where he was experimented on, giving him the ability to turn into the beast he looked like now as a means to creating a living weapon, before responder came to his rescue, helped him be able to change back and forth from his beast form, and gave him a position on the Vigilant to get payback against KnightCorps for what they had done to him.

"Is this the place, Responder?" Cosmic Knockout asked as she watched the signs of lights on the team's leader's faceplate, where he nodded.

"Yeah. There are several people in cells, along with more security, scientists, and a large energy source, one that's moving." Responder replied, seeing that Infiltrator's information was on the spot once again, knowing he could trust the mysterious hacker after Haru helped him out in the past.

"Then let's rip them in half already and get those people out of there!" Razor Wolf then said with a snarl, his beastial instincts and hate toward KnightCorps telling him to get his revenge, only to stop as he felt Responder set his hand on his shoulder.

"We will, and we'll do it together." Responder said with a calmness in his tone, understanding his friend's rage, but he didn't want it to cloud his mind and wind up harming any innocents, prisoner or guards that had not been told the whole truth.

"Let's move." The tech hero then said to the rest of the Vigilant, getting nods from the team as they leaped down, where Cosmic Knockout quickly punched both of the guards nearest her in the face, sending them flying a few feet and skidding across the ground unconscious, while Razor Wolf quickly ripped the metal doors of the warehouse open, allowing the heroes in but alerting everyone inside.

Inside, the young heroes saw several people in makeshift prison cages, while a pair seemed to be unconscious on metal slabs with devices on their heads, as though reading their brain activity, while the scientists working on them freaked out as the guards, including one large figure in a tech suit, pointed their guns at the heroes.

"Damn it, why here?! Do your job, merc, or Knight will hear about this!" One of the scientists yelled as he and his colleagues ran out the opposite end of the building, while Black Wyvern scoffed at their cowardice, before grinning as he looked at this new group of 'heroes' before him.

"You're the brats the boss wants me to exterminate?" He questioned, looking over the small group, where he then commented. "Easy pay."

Black Wyvern then pointed his gun arm at the Vigilant, opening fire and laughing maniacally as the remaining guards joined in, causing the young heroes to dodge as best as they could.

"Who is this guy?" Cosmic Knockout then questioned, dodging the hail of energy shots from the armoured merc, where Frequency fired blasts of sonic fire back at the merc, who used his jets to avoid the fire, which hit his back up instead, sending some crashing into a nearby wall.

"Whoever he is, he needs to lay off the caffeine." Frequency said in reply, trying to fire back, launching out a hail of discs from his wrist mounted blasters, but found Black Wyvern's speed too great for him.

But having other tricks up his sleeve quite literally, Frequency detached one of the speakers off his jacket and threw it toward the guards, where it began to produce a terrible soundwave through the area, causing many of the guards to drop their guns, fall to their knees and cry out as they covered their ears, trying to get the ringing out of their heads.

Meanwhile, Razor Wolf was all over the place, knocking out guard after guard, even throwing one out of the window, while Responder was flying around, firing blasts of blue energy at the remaining lackies, before joining in on fighting Black Wyvern as a pair of energy blades erupted from his gauntlets, catching the merc by surprise as he quickly turned, activating his own blade as he blocked the attack, both hero and villain glaring at one another through their helmets.

"You're tougher than I anticipated. I can see why my boss has had his hands full with you." Black Wyvern commented with a small chuckle, before quickly pushing Responder back, where the merc's eyes widened as he saw energy building up in the hero's chest orb.

Focusing his energies, Responder then cast out a great surge of blue light from his chest, the beam attack heading right for Black Wyvern, who was quick to act, casting an energy shield around himself.

But even with the shielding, having his suit upgraded, he groaned, feeling Responder's intense power starting to push him back.

"Way to go! Responder, we'll..." Cosmic Knockout started to say as she rushed to aid her ally, before quickly dodging as a blast of pink energy fired past where she almost walked through, while Frequency dodged a series of blades thrown at him.

Razor Wolf, meanwhile, dodged a series of needles thrown in his direction, an action Responder mimicked as he stopped attacking Black Wyvern and dodged, landing by his team as the merc landed in front of his reinforcements.

"Master Knight was right to hire you, Black Wyvern, but you shouldn't take these... 'heroes' lightly." One of the figures said, while the Vigilant narrowed their eyes at seeing the three individuals that stood around Black Wyvern.

By Black Wyvern's left was the being that had attacked Razor Wolf, evident due to the remaining syringes he was holding, continuing to make Razor Wolf snarl, not only at knowing the individual all too well, having been the one who experimented on him, but at their more warped appearance as well.

Wearing green armour over his body, where various wires and tubes ran along his form, pumping in and out various chemicals and fluids, from what sections the armour cut off as to allow the figure free movement of his arms and legs, pale and blistering skin could be seen.

Upon his back were a set of thrusters, only they weren't mounted to his armour, but they had been fused within his back, protruding out of his skin, which formed and molded around the metal, adapting to the changes.

From his arms, small holes opened up out of his skin, extending long needle-like blades, his face was covered completely by a respirator, with tubes running out the sides and into the sides of his face and his neck, while a set of gleaming red eyes could be seen behind his makeshift mask, creeping out the prisoners from their cages at the horrific sight of what they guessed was a human.

This, the Vigilant knew, was Dr. Helix, KnightCorps' unofficial head of bio-sciences, and the head of Knight's personal security force.

"You're even uglier than I remember." Razor Claw growled, while Helix laughed and replied as his mask face scanned the Vigilant. "Science waits for nobody and sometimes she requires other volunteers to exceed."

"Good one!" The second of Knight's security force said with an insane laugh, drawing attention to him as most glared at him.

Resting his torso on Black Wyvern's right arm was a man dressed in dark jester-like get up, having a white mask with a creepy smile etched upon it covering his face, while a large hat that was divided into a shade of dark violet and light violet rested atop his head.

The figure wore a thin dark violet top, with red trimmings running along the chest, while the shoulders were outstretched, allowing a deep red cape to flow down the back of the comical character's costume.

Similar to his hat, his pants were divided into light and dark shades of violet, running down in a striped pattern, completing his ensemble as he remained in his comical mood, twirling a pair of daggers in his hands.

Jester, as he called himself, was a psychotic assassin Knight managed to tame and bring into his private force, using the clown to dispose of those who displeased or angered the corrupt CEO.

Lastly, and behind Black Wyvern, was a more femimine figure, the villainess of Knight's small team, Lady Beauty, though that was not her true name.

Relinquishing her old name and her very life years ago, she had agreed to partake in Knight's experiments, to gain eternal beauty, to stop from aging, where she had undergone countless and painful experiments to become the woman she now was.

And though the treatments were a success, she was left mentally unstable, having an insatiable and near obsessive side to her, to destroy, which Knight found a use for, having her work for him in exchange for keeping her in her eternal state of youth.

Choosing an attire to match her beauty, she wore a dark black dress, with silver sections of armour over her figure, covering her arms, legs and her chest, while a set of black and white wings adorned the back of her armour, where she continued to show herself off, having flew up and set her arms around Black Wyvern's neck as she looked down at the heroes.

"Such a pitiful bunch you are." Lady Beauty commented, her attention drawn namely toward Cosmic Knockout, glaring at the heroine and feeling spite toward her for her near perfect beauty, while Black Wyvern glared out the corner of his eyes in annoyance at the woman hanging around his back.

Not wanting to wait, however, especially at seeing the one who experimented on him once again, Razor Wolf let out a fearsome roar, before leaping at Helix, who dodged with ease as he moved back, dodging the swings and blows from the mutant beast's claws and bladed arms.

"Razor, wait...!" Frequency started to yell, only to jump back as Jester closed the distance between them, missing the young blond by an inch with his blades, before the insane clown began to laugh wickedly as he tried to strike the hero down.

"Just hold still. I promise this won't hurt... me!" Jester let out, continuing to let out his clear insanity, swinging his blade and trying with each motion to plunge it into Frequency's body, but found the blond hero continuing to stay on guard, avoiding each attack.

Acting on her own, Cosmic Knockout then leapt into the air, ready to deliver a blow to Lady Beauty's face as the villainess got off of Black Wyvern's back, only for her to gracefully sidestep, where the young heroine's fist slammed into the ground, leaving a crater where her enemy once stood.

"Such brute force, not very ladylike." Lady Beauty commented, before she held up her left arm, displaying the silver shield set upon it and withdrawing a dark hilted sword from the sheath attached to her belt, a dark aura circling the blade as she said with a dark grin. "But if you want it this way, then who am I to deny your request?"

With her choice of weapon drawn, Lady Beauty lunged herself at Cosmic Knockout, moving her blade in a horizontal swing as she tried to cut down the heroine, but found Cosmic Knockout's reflexes sharper than expected as the pink haired heroine countered her attack and managed to clench Lady Beauty's blade within her gauntlets.

"You're a real pain in the neck, you know that?" The heroine asked, before pushing her opponent back, where she then delivered a swift kick to the villainess' stomach, sending her staggering back a few feet, where Lady Beauty looked at her enemy through her helmet in pure rage, hating Cosmic Knockout not only for her looks, but for trying to damage her own.

Meanwhile, Black Wyvern decided to go for the head in a sense, extending his energy blade as he rushed at Responder, who used his own blades to block the oncoming attack.

"I don't know who you are, but don't care, you're dead now!" The merc said menacingly as he then brought out his gun arm, hoping to shoot the tech hero down before he could respond, only for the villain's eyes to widen as he saw the orbs on Responder's body glow, especially the chestpiece, before a beam of energy shot through the clashing energy blades, shattering both of Black Wyvern's arm weapons and causing him stagger back a bit.

"Don't underestimate us." Responder said, bringing his energy blades in and the power then flowed into his gauntlet fists, where he rushed at Black Wyvern and began to deliver a series of punches at the villain, who used his energy barrier to try and protect himself, while groaning in frustration at the power this young hero seemed to have.

Back with Helix and Razor Wolf, the duo were going all out as they engaged in close combat.

Blades, claws and needles clashing and coming closely into contact with the opposition as the two continued in their fight.

"Such anger." Helix commented as he avoided Razor Wolf's right arm, where the blade just missed his head. "After everything I've done for you, you continue to express no gratitude."

"I didn't ask for this..." Razor Wolf snarled back as the terrible memories of his painful transformation at Helix's hand filled his head, where he then let out with a great rage. "You turned me into a monster, a weapon that you could use to bring suffering to others. But I swear I won't let you harm another person and make them suffer as I did!"

Expressing his fury, Razor Wolf threw his right arm forward, ignoring the pain he felt as Helix's needles jabbed through the fur and into his skin, before his claws made contact with Helix's chest and sliced clean through the armour, ripping it off of Helix's being and leaving deep cuts upon his horribly twisted form.

"Damn beast!" Helix yelled as the wing like appendages from his back swung around, trying to cut his former pet in half, only for Razor Wolf to easily jump over them as he rushed his foe, trying to strike at him once more as the villain dodged.

Meanwhile, despite her earlier show of force, Cosmic Knockout soon found herself on the defensive as Lady Beauty revealed her true power, channeling pink energy into her sword and shield, firing blasts of energy at the pink haired heroine as she tried to dodge all the attacks and get close.

"Quit moving, you brat! I promise not to harm that pretty little face of yours'." Lady Beauty said as she continued her attacks, continuing to unleash her series of energy shots at the fighter heroine, who brought her arms up, defending as bet she could with her gauntlets, but she could see Lady Beauty using her paralyzed state to move closer, drawing in on her.

But having her team always on her back, a smile appeared on Cosmic Knockout's face as she saw Frequency leap above her, having managed to escape Jester's mad onslaught and to now fight by her side.

"Time to turn up the Frequency!" The music based hero announced as he crossed his arms along his chest, set his thumbs, index and ring fingers out with his call, before letting loose a stream of rhythm-shaped energy the speaker set within his chest and towards Lady Beauty, sending her flying back and crashing into the wall.

Smiling to see Frequency next to her, but acting quickly, Cosmic Knockout quickly turned and slammed her right fist into Jester's chest, just as he was about to impale the blond hero with his blades, sending the masked clown flying back and laughing at his own injuries, where the two heroes stood back to back, ready to take on whatever came their way next.

Out of all the Vigilant, the pair were in some ways the closest, always there when the other needed them, and felt close, even though they both had feelings for another.

Seeing his allies in pain, including himself, Helix yelled out. "Retreat! We will deal with these pests another day!"

Lady Beauty and Jester complied immediately, while Black Wyvern growled in frustration, hating to lose, before opening the missile ports on his shoulders, firing rockets at the remaining computers, destroying them and leaving the building unstable as the villains and KnightCorps guards fled.

"Leave them! Save the hostages!" Responder yelled in response to the instability of the structure, where the Vigilant quickly moved to break the cells, as well as carry those who were unconscious, bringing them all outside before the warehouse collapsed behind them.

As the freed hostages thanked their saviours, the sounds of sirens were heard, causing the Vigilant to nod to one another, disappearing from the scene and allowing the police to take care of those they had rescued, happy to have saved more innocents from KnightCorps' evil, and knew that they would be there to stop them again in the future.

-The next day-

Walking through the halls toward his classroom was Torajiro, only his hair was combed back, he wore a green sweater and a pair of brown pants, the polar opposite of his Frequency persona, where he was quietly minding his own business, that was until he came into contact with another student, causing his books to drop and scatter alongside the books the other student was carrying.

"Sorry." Torajiro said with respect as he bowed his head, before looking up and blushing at who he had bumped into, for ahead of him was the girl he had a crush on, one of the young cheerleaders, and the most beautiful girl in his eyes, Eri Karan.

"Allow me." The blond then said, quickly kneeling down and picking up Eri's books, only for his blush to increase as he reached out for one and found Eri's hand touching his own, quickly looking up and seeing the pink haired cheerleader crouching down on her knees ,picking up the books and staring at him with a faint blush of her own.

To Eri, Torahiro was a sweet, kind boy, one she wanted to know more about, to talk more with, but sadly...

"Eri? What are you doing with that loser?" She heard one of the cheerleaders ask, turning to see two members of her squad staring down at her and Torajiro.

"That dork was the one who bumped into you, so it's like totally his fault." The cheerleader then said with a condescending tone toward Torajiro, causing her friend to nod in agreement, believing that because of their popularity, they were better than the boy.

"Now come on. We're going to be late for practice." The second cheerleader informed as she grabbed at Eri's arm, pulling her up and leading her away, where she added. "Thank goodness Kari isn't a tyrant, so leave Tora whatever's his name to his books and let's go."

Watching as Eri slowly turned her head and began to walk with her peers, Torajiro, meanwhile, let out a sigh, knowing that he'd never be able to win over a beauty like Eri, failing to notice that the pink haired girl had looked back with a sad look on her own face.

'I'm sorry, Torajiro.' She thought, knowing the boy's name and knowing how kind and sweet he could be, but her feelings were conflicted due to her peer pressure as a cheerleader, wanting to befriend the blond and get to know him, but there was a deep part of her that remained afraid of what the other girls would think.

Meanwhile, from his own locker, Haru watched the scene and sighed, finding it funny that in their hero personas, Eri and Astora were both easy going and carefree with one another, with Frequency even a little playful and flirtatious around Eri, a complete opposite of their normal lives.

The green haired boy then looked and smiled to see Yujin, back in his human form, smiling as he talked with his classmates, glad to see his best friend back to his friendly and cheerful side, while still thinking on how he could undo the effects of Helix's experiment.

Haru was then about to close his locker, before his cell phone vibrated, causing him to take it out and, recognizing the number, answered as he heard on the other line. "Glad to see you and your team are alright, I didn't know about Black Wyvern until after the fact."

"It's alright, your info was helpful." Haru replied with a smile.

"Sadly, it's not enough to take KnightCorps down this time." Infiltrator, known to a select few as Rei Katsura, who watched on the TV as Knight gave a press conference, disavowing the 'renegade' scientist who operated the lab the Vigilant hit the previous night, and with most apparently believing the young CEO's word.

Rei then narrowed his eyes as he heard Knight announced a new project from KnightCorps, a series of communication towers he plans to build all over Odaiba, ones that will make communication and internet instantaneous, an announcement that was met with a round of applause.

"Knight is up to something big, and I'll keep looking until I find out what." Rei said, trusting Haru ever since he saved the hacker's younger brother, Hajime, from one of Knight's experiments, where the hooded figure vowed to stop whatever the corrupt CEO planned, no matter what it took.

"And we'll be there when you need us." Haru replied with a determined look, before hanging his phone, getting ready to go to class.

"Haru, are you alright?" A familiar female voice then asked behind the green haired boy, causing him to jump a little from the sudden call, before turning with a blush to see a familiar blonde smiling at him.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you." The girl said, allowing Haru to not only recover from his small scare, but to take in the sight of the figure.

Looking ahead of him was a young girl around his age, her blonde hair just stopping at her cheeks, framing her face and highlighting her sparkling purple coloured eyes, which seemed to liven up Haru's day.

"It... It's alright, Ai." Haru said with a blush, having Ai Kashiki, the girl he loved, so close to him, before the pair walked off to class, her positivity almost contagious as she happily walked by Haru's side, leaving him smiling in response.

-Meanwhile-

Within Knight's office, Kouki stood alongside Helix, Lady Beauty and Jester as the CEO finished watching his broadcast, before the Knight turned to them, with Kouki expecting him to be angry, even wanting to fire the merc, only for him to be surprised at the calm look on Knight's face.

"Do not worry, Mr. Tsubasa, I had not expected you to defeat them on your first encounter. If it were that easy, we would have done so sooner. No, this time was just for you to get an idea of what the 'Vigilant' are capable of." Knight informed, where he then smirked and added. "Nothing they do can stop my plans anyways."

Kouki was about to ask what he meant, before the door to the room opened and one off Knight's secretaries came in, where the merc was about to freak out at being spotted, only for Lady Beauty to place a finger on his lips, silencing him and wagging a finger his way.

"Here are the annual reports... Mr. Unryuji..." The secretary said in a distant voice as she handed her boss a file, where Kouki noticed with a confused look the glazed over expression on the woman's face, the vacantness in her eyes, as if she was not in complete control of her actions.

"Thank you, my dear, That will be all." Knight replied, causing Kouki to look at his employer, before his eyes widened to see Knight's eyes glowing red.

'Crap, he's a psionic!' Kouki thought to himself, realizing that the young CEO was controlling the secretary not to notice him or the others, and made him worry about what he thought around this man.

After the secretary left, Knight's eyes returned to normal as he then added. "Yes, I am a psionic, but no, Mr. Tsubasa, I won't use my powers on you, so long as you remember your place."

Moving to the window of his office and looking out at Odaiba, Knight smirked as he informed. "The Protectors are too busy dealing with the Night Queen and the Dark Legion to worry about us and the StarCorps and the Police department can't touch me. So long as we keep those brats distracted, nothing will stop my plans. Soon, this city will know its place, serving me!"

**Author's Note**: And here we have it, our three main hero groups: The heroes of the Protectors, the superpowered law enforcement of the StarCorps, and the young heroes of the Vigilant. As villains now come out of the woodworks, will they be able to stop the Night Queen from tearing their world apart? And what is Knight Unryuji real goal? Stay tuned and enjoy this evolving story of heroes and villains.


	4. Chapter 4

As the sun rose in the morning, Rika let out a pleasant sigh, stretching her body as she sat up in bed and awoke.

Getting out of her bed, revealing the simple light blue bra and panties she wore over her amazing figure, Rika took a moment to admire herself in the full body mirror hanging from her closet door.

It was Saturday and thus the one day the Protectors use for major training, unless something important gets in the way, such as a threat to the city, Nene holding a concert or movie shoot, and similar events.

Undressing and heading into the shower, letting the water run down her body, the red haired heroine took a moment to think about how her life had changed over the years, as well as the man who not only helped that changed, but captured her heart in the process.

To Rika, her modeling gig was always a front, a means to make a living, appearing as though she was walking in her mother's footsteps, while in reality she put her efforts into her heroine life, following her grandmother's steps and mostly working on her own against those who threatened the world with the dark arts, never allowing anyone to get too close to her, still remembering the pain she felt when her father abandoned her family.

But on that fateful day over three years prior, when Rika had joined a small group of mystics to stop a rampaging monster summoned from the Dark Realm, one that killed all those with her, and nearly killed her as well before, like a knight in shining armour, V-Force arrived and not only saved Rika, but working together, brought the beast low.

After that, Rika found herself drawn to the armoured hero, accepting his offer to join the Protectors, where she learned more about Davis Motomiya, not only falling for his looks, but also to his personality, his kindness, determination and his will to protect those around him and believe in the best of people, traits Rika admired, which made her desire Davis even more as her lover.

Even when Tai pulled her aside and told her about his sister, Kari, it only made Rika desire Davis even more, loving how devoted Davis can be, and hoped one day that she could be the recipient of that devotion.

As she finished getting dressed, Rika put on a smile and headed out, looking forward to another day, not only with her team, but also at another chance to possibly win Davis' over and live out her deepest fantasies with him.

-Later-

Within the elevator of the Protector's base, Angie, wearing her Thunderstrike outfit, minus her mask, with a towel around her neck, stretched her arms over her head as she took the elevator to the training level of the base, hoping to use the training techniques Mikey discussed with her, as well as some of the tech Izzy installed, to help improve her speed and mobility in combat.

In the beginning for them, it was just Angie and Mikey together fighting as a team, with the red haired speedster always following the lead of the flaming hero she admired for so long, until they ran into a group of thugs causing trouble in their hometown of Koto.

While most of the thugs were easy to take down, one masked villain in particular, who would later be identified as Fusionist before he joined the Dark Legion, took the pair by surprise, nearly taking them down, had V-Force and Dragonheart not arrived in time to save them, where the pair then joined the Protectors and never looked back.

Upon the elevator door opening, Angie walked out on the second level of the training center, before looking with some confusion to see Rika, Nene and Zoe, each in their heroine outfits, though Rika had her mask off and Zoe lowered her face mask, leaning against the railings as they looked down towards the sparring room below with dreamy looks on their faces and giving off small sighs.

"Hey girls, what's up?" Angie asked as she approached, frowning as none of the three replied, confusing her as she turned to look at the direction they were looking in as a bright blush came across the speedster's cheeks.

Down below, Davis and Takuya were sparring with one another, using training staves as they commenced with their training, revealing that neither were wearing a shirt and allowing the girls to take in their muscular forms.

Quickly shaking her head of perverted thoughts, Angie looked at her female companions and sweatdropped as they let out small dreamy sighs.

She already knew that Rika and Nene were hopelessly in love with Davis, but looking at Zoe, knowing that the blonde was close to Takuya, Angie had to ask. "Which one are you watching, Davis or Takuya?"

"Yes..." Zoe merely replied as she never took her gaze off the two heroes sparring, causing Angie's eyebrow to twitch at the vague answer.

Unlike the others, who were found by Davis or Tai and invited into the Protectors, Takuya and Zoe sought them out.

Both had been raised at a young age together by the Order of the Elements, gaining a strong bond between them, before three years ago when the heads of their Order told the pair of mystic warriors that they were to seek out a powerful hero that they would befriend and fight with, and got what was needed for them to become students at Odaiba High.

It didn't take long for the pair to find Davis, where Takuya revealed the truth about him and Zoe, as well as the fact that they knew about Davis as V-Force, and after swearing to work together, the pair joined the Protectors, happy with their new friends, though Takuya was not always thrilled with the way Zoe eyed Davis at times, even though he knew she loved him.

Shaking her head at her fellow heroines' behaviour, Angie turned and started to walk away, saying over her shoulder. "Well have fun, I guess. I'm going to go train."

"I think Mikey's sparring next." Nene then said, a smirk growing on her face as, though she didn't look to check, the brunette knew that Angie had stopped in place, her face now matching her hair as she imagined Mikey shirtless and sparring with Davis, a little trickle of blood coming out of the redhead's nose, before quickly rushing into her training room.

Still not taking her eyes off of Davis, Nene let out a dreamy sigh, remembering when she met the maroon haired hero a year ago, when he helped save her and her audience at a concert venue she was at, where a group of super-powered thugs wanted to make a name for themselves by taking down the idol heroine.

At the time, Nene felt she was shallow, using her heroine status to help boost her career, never imagining any villain would actually come for her head on until that night when, like a knight out of her dreams, V-Force, along with Vixen, Dragonheart, Hitech and Lilly came to the rescue, where Nene worked with the Protectors to take the villains down, before the brunette idol accepted V-Force's invite to the team, not only liking the idea of being on a team, but also wanting to get to know V-Force more, feeling attracted to him after he saved her.

It was a decision Nene did not regret as she got to know Davis better, not only finding him a dreamboat with his looks, but also falling for his personality as she dreamed of being by his side, not just as a teammate, but as a lover as well.

The idol heroine knew she had competition in the forms of Rika, as well as the girl who seemed to have already claimed his heart, Kari, but Nene did not feel deterred, but instead felt more driven to win over Davis' heart in the end.

Nene, Rika and Zoe then snapped out of their dazes when they noticed that Davis and Takuya were done sparring, shaking one another's hand as they made their way up the stairs to the upper balcony, where the three heroines moved to meet the pair, who greeted them as they got up.

"Hey girls, hoping to get some training in?" Davis asked with a smile, while Rika and Nene both had the same mental image of the kind of 'training' they would like to do with their maroon haired leader.

"Well, now that you mention it, I was hoping to get some training in with you, Davis." Rika then said with a suggestive tone, which caused Nene to glare at her before she quickly added. "So was I."

Davis then seemed to go into thought, before smiling as he said. "Now that I think about it, there is some training that I wanted to go through with the two of you."

Takuya and Zoe looked intrigued by what Davis had in mind, while both Rika and Nene smiled brightly, their minds already thinking of what kind of 'training' Davis had in store for them.

-Moments later-

'This is not what I had in mind!' Both heroines mentally screamed as they dodged missile fire, laser strikes, and of course, dodging Davis' blades as he rushed at them in his V-Force armour, the two girls in a bit of a panic as they dodged for their lives as Davis had brought them into the teams' most intense training room, put his armour on, and told them to work together against him.

"Come on you two, focus!" Davis yelled as he rushed up to swing his blades at Rika, who quickly brought her mystic shield up to try and block the attack, only for a missile to detonate behind her, causing her to crash into the ground, followed quickly by Nene as she was hit by a laser blast.

From the main monitor, Tai, Mikey, Cody and Suzie sighed at the sight, with the two younger individuals thinking on how complex Mikey's tactical thinking could make their training simulations.

Back in the training room, Nene and Rika sat on their knees as they caught their breaths, while Davis landed in front of them, removing his helmet, where the young idol asked. "Why are we doing this again?!"

"Because out of everyone on the team, the teamwork between the two of you is... well, almost nonexistent." Davis said honestly, where he then added with a continued seriousness. "Nene, you should have taken out that missile before it got closer to Rika, and Rika, you should have used your barrier to protect Nene as well."

Mentally, Davis let out a sigh, knowing the reason there was tension between the two girls.

He might act oblivious, but he knew full well how the two felt about him, and while flattered, he didn't want to give them false hope, knowing he couldn't return their feelings.

"If this was not a simulation, then you two could put the whole team in jeopardy. We'll run this again later when you're rested up, but whatever is going on between the two of you, you need to put it aside and work together before someone takes advantage of it." Davis then finished, causing Rika and Nene to look down as they thought about what he said, part of them knowing he was right, but both still feeling resentment towards one another for having a crush on the man each loved.

From the monitor room, Tai nodded his head as he heard Davis words, knowing he made the right choice all those years ago.

Originally, it had been just him, Mimi and Izzy when the Protectors started, before Davis and TK joined in, along with Henry and Suzie, where Tai saw first hand Davis' skill and leadership capabilities.

When the time came for the group to choose a leader, having seen him as his older brother-like figure, Davis had nominated Tai for the position, but the older brunette turned it down, trusting Davis' leadership over his own, and he hasn't regretted the decision since.

"Those two look worse for wear." TK commented as he, Izzy, Mimi and Henry came by, seeing Rika and Nene on the monitors, while Henry did his best not to narrow his eyes at seeing his sister once again at the one place he knew he could always find her, leaning against the monitor station and talking with Cody.

'Just play it cool, Henry, they are just friends." The older of the Wong siblings thought to himself, trying to keep his instincts as a big brother from getting the better of him.

"Well we better get some training in ourselves, who knows If anything could happen today." Tai then said, getting nods from the group as they all decided to workout, not knowing what the day would bring.

-Meanwhile-

Within her dark sanctum, Kari sat in an almost meditative position, the dark book on its pedestal nearby as the magic around it tried to break the seals, before the Night Queen felt a familiar presence around her, where in her mind, she saw a large shadow with glowing red eyes circling around her.

"**The time is near, my Champion. Once the book is opened, you can begin the ritual. But first, there are a few obstacles that need to be removed.**" Zhaitan said, causing Kari to nod as she listened to the Dark One, hearing what he had to tell her, while in her mind, Kari knew that, once her ascension was complete, that she would deal with him in her own way.

A little while later, in her full Night Queen outfit, Kari stood on the balcony overlooking the training grounds, with Matt on her right and Sora on her left as the rest of her followers bowed respectively below.

"I have a task for some of you, a diversion to deal with the Protectors and the Police, while the rest of you deal with a target I need eliminated." Kari said, getting nods from her servants as the Dark Legion readied for their tasks.

-An hour later-

As the afternoon sun hung high in the sky, the Odaiba pier was alive with action as people played games, enjoyed the rides, ate and just had fun, before some people noticed a strange dark cloud from above, blotting out the sun in the process.

Then, out of every shadow, they began to emerge; creatures that looked like living shadow people, only they had four arms, red eyes, and razor sharp claws on their hands, the shadow demons known as Stalker, which began to attack and terrorize everything in sight, sending the civilians into panic as they ran away from the creatures, as more appeared, some resembling large, bipedal shadow creatures with muscular forms, tendrils coming out of their backs, and no eyes on their black faces, only a gaping maw with razor sharp teeth, the demons known as Brutes.

From her sanctum, Kari sat in a meditative position, her body glowing with a dark aura as she channeled her magic, allowing the creatures to take form and do as she bid them.

As the Shadow Demons ran rampant through the pier, a black portal opened on the far end, where Shadowknight, Psychonis, Fusionist and Deathstrike emerged, with the dark witch and two of her male companions smirking at the chaos, while the dark spirit warrior remained as impassive as ever as they waited for the 'heroes' to arrives.

-Protectors' base-

Thanks in no small part to their various magic based connections, Davis, Rika, TK, Takuya and Zoe immediately felt something off, sensing the increase in dark energy before the alarms sounded, where Cody rushed to his seat at the monitor station, typing on the terminal as video feeds of the attack on the pier came up, especially on the Dark Legion Villains.

"Why are they attacking the Pier?!" Mimi asked in worry and confusion, where Tai cut in and said in reply. "We'll worry about that later. Right now we need to stop them before anyone gets hurt!"

"Tai's right." Davis then said in agreement, getting the rest of the teams' attention as he added. "It doesn't make any sense to me either, but we can't just sit here. We'll get the answers we need from the four of them and take out four of the Night Queen's followers in the process. Suit up!"

The Protectors all let out a cheer in agreement as they headed out, With Cody continuing to monitor the situation, while Joe went to get the medical room of the base ready for when the heroes returned.

-Back at the Pier-

Looking around, Psychonis could only marvel as she saw all the shadow demons, all under the command of her mistress, running rampant.

Despite the power she had, Jeri could barely hope to summon a few Stalkers, let alone control them.

This was the kind of power she wanted, the power she craved.

When she was a small orphaned child, Jeri was taken in by the mysterious Circle of Shadows, a cult of dark wizards, who dated back to the fall of the old kingdom and worshipped Zhaitan and those of the Dark Realm, where the young witch began her studies into the dark arts.

But finding the strict and almost deadly practices and hierarchies of the Circle a crutch for her, Jeri quickly left, seeking power on her own, before meeting the Night Queen, seeing everything she had hoped to be, without the Circle's leash, within her, and was more than happy when the dark sorceress agreed to teach her in exchange for Psychonis joining the Dark Legion.

Looking to her right, the dark witch then took in Shadowknight as he remained impassive, finding herself drawn to the dark spirit, wondering what he was and how he came to be, but remained focused as she looked back at the destruction before her, a smirk growing on her face.

However, the grin then turned serious as a flash of light came, causing several Stalkers to cry out as V-Force slashed through them with his blades, with Seraph, Songbird and Vixen following up with their own special moves, while Fireguard and Zephyr took to the air with Hitech.

Meanwhile, Dragonheart lead another charge with Lilly, Cyberstriker, Darkblade, Red Nova and Thunderstrike, knocking down several more of the Night Queen's dark creations as Dragonheart empowered his gauntlets, slamming his fist into a Brute, causing the creature to let out a pain filled roar, stumbling back a bit, before dissolving into shadows as the Protectors moved into a single group, each of them back to back as they stared at the shadow demons as they all stopped their attacks, looking at the heroes as they let out screeches of rage and anger, ready to tear the heroes apart.

"Well look who showed up." Fusionist commented with a dark tone, seeing the Night Queen's plan was working perfectly, while looking forward to another shot at ending Red Nova.

"Time to bring the rest." Psychonis then said with a smirk as she looked at Shadowknight, who then lifted up his blade and slammed it into his shield three times, as though signalling, where a pair of dark portals opened behind the villains, causing the heroes to get even more on guard as they heard the sounds of marching.

Looking on at the dark portals, V-Force and the others watched with concern as to what they saw.

From the portals marched out dozens of armoured beings, all clad in dark silver armour that covered their entire beings, save for around their elbows and kneecaps, allowing the knights to move more freely, but it showed a dark mist emanating from within the armour, acting as their bodies.

Their faces were covered by helmets that looked like spiked teeth, a set of giant spiked shoulderplates were set on their sides, while each wielded a spiked shield in their left arm and a blade of pure darkness in their right hand, each blade etched with dark and ancient writing along the hilt.

As the Protectors steadied themselves, they then saw a dozen more figures fly out of the portals, flying into the air and looking down at their enemies, allowing V-Force and the heroes to get a better look at them, finding that like the ground troops, these creatures were also vessels of pure evil.

While the winged forces had similar dark armour as their sword and shielded brethren, their armour was lighter and less bulky, allowing the shadow demons to strike quickly and without mercy.

Their faces were concealed by spiked helmets, each set with a skull that acted as a mask and further concealed the true appearance of the dark army.

While each sported a set of wings made of pure shadow, within their possession, each held a long spear, their choice of weapon for their iminent battle, making them look like a fleet of fallen angels.

The Protectors held their ground, already knowing that, unlike the Stalkers and Brutes, which were ravenous monsters that attacked like wild animals at their summoner's will, these Dark Warriors were real soldiers, the mainstay of Zhaitan's armies, and knew how to fight, especially with Shadowknight as their general.

"We need to take them out, quickly! I'll get Shadowknight. Vixen, Songbird, take Psychonis and try to close those portals. The rest of you, hit them where it hurts!" V-Force called out, getting a cry of agreement from the team as they moved, with V-Force shooting out at Shadowknight, his blades crashing against the dark spirit's shield as he pushed him back, Psychonis, Fusionist and Deathstrike not even flinching as the pair rushed past them, their focus more on the other heroes as the Stalkers and Brutes moved in to attack.

Hightech, Fireguard and Zephyr each flew up into the air, where the winged Dark Warriors wasted no time and gave chase after the group, trying to shoot them down as many gathered dark energies at the tips of their spears and released it a bolts of black energy, each shot narrowly missing the Protectors, where Fireguard extended his blades, blocking a strike from a spear, a scene mimicked by Zephyr as she used her claws to hold one of the Dark Warriors back, before Hitech appeared behind them, gathering electric energy into his gauntlets and firing blasts at the warriors, piercing through their heads and causing the warriors to dissolve into shadows, before the trio of heroes moved to engage the other winged enemies.

With the air forces occupied, Lilly, Thunderstrike and Seraph moved against the Stalkers and Brutes, which launched themselves at the heroes, ready to tear them apart, where Lilly brought her hands up, causing a wall of vines to break through the wooden floor, halting the creatures momentarily, before the vines extended out and restrained them as Thunderstrike quickly moved, slamming her fists and feet into the creatures faces with such might that they snapped their necks, causing the creatures to dissolve.

And with his power over the light, Seraph gathered the energy in his hands, casting it off and dealing painful blows to the Brutes that crossed his path, before circling his hands within his light and going in, assisting his allies as he pummeled the dark beings, causing them to let out roars of pain as they were knocked back and their numbers began to dwindle.

Meanwhile, Red Nova and Dragonheart both turned to see Fusionist walking towards them, and though they could not see his face, the two heroes knew that he was smirking.

"I've lost count of how many rounds we've had over the years, Nova. Let's make this one the last!" The villain declared with an insane laugh as the wood around his feet, along with the metal from the stands and the lone ferris wheel began to creak and moan, before they broke apart and began to fly towards the heroes, who dodged, only to see the materials, as well as the rocks from beneath the pier, start to form around Fusionist, forming a protective layer around him as it took shape, resembling that of a gigantic metallic and wooden serpent that let out a loud roar at the pair as they saw Fusionist within its mouth glaring at them.

"Ok, seriously, how powerful is this guy?!" Dragonheart asked in concern, finding that each time he sees this villain fight, he does something even more powerful and dangerous then the last.

"It doesn't matter what new tricks Fusionist comes up with, we must stop him." Red Nova said in reply, feeling similar worry and concern to Dragonheart, but he believed in his team, in his friends, knowing it would be an ordeal, but they would overcome their latest challenge.

"Stop me? This time, you're both going down!" Fusionist yelled as tendrils of rock and wood shot out of the serpent, heading straight for the heroes as they dodged the attack, with Red Nova using his flaming fist to try and break the tendrils, while Dragonheart formed his energy form, using his dinosaur teeth to try and bite at the serpent's neck, only for the metal and rock to halt his attempt as Fusionist shook him off, before grabbing the energy beast with his serpent mouth, throwing him at Red Nova, who quickly ducked before he could get caught in the throw as Dragonheart crashed into some of the remaining stands, slowly getting up as the pair glared at the masked villain.

As this fight was going on, Deathstrike remained in place as he drew his pistols out and opened fire, taking shots at Cyberstriker and Darkblade, making sure to keep them from getting close to him as they dodged his gunfire, especially as he revealed his more lethal of weapons, his shoulder-mounted rocket launcher, and fired a few salvos.

"I can do this all day, can you two?" The gunslinging villain asked as he continued to fire at the pair, where Darkblade acted, rushing at the villain, doding many of the missiles with her speed, while slicing several that came into her vicinity in half, leaving them to explode just after she rushed past.

"Not bad, but not good enough." Deathstrike said as he pointed his gun at the young ninja, who dodged just in time as the bullet came at her, before the masked villain then backed away, dodging a powerful kick from the older hero as Cyberstriker came down from above, showing that though he preferred using firearms, Deathstrike was not one to shy away from close close combat, delivering a swift kick to the tai chi hero's chest, sending him skidding back, where Cyberstriker quickly moved as Deathstrike resumed firing at him.

With the rest of the Protectors occupied, and seeing V-Force fighting Shadowknight in the air, Vixen and Songbird moved in to take Psychonis out, who remained in place, smirking at the pair, with the ground warriors still behind her.

Speaking her incantation, Vixen started off their battle, sending off a series of fox spirits at the dark witch, while Songbird joined in, her hands glowing blue as she fired blasts of energy at the villainess, only for their eyes to widen as the Dark Warriors moved, the ones closest to Psychonis using their shields to form a wall around her, where the attacks hit the dark metal, barely scratching them.

The Warriors then retracted their shields, revealing Psychonis' dark smirk as her shadow demon guards them charged at the pair, raising their blades to strike, only for a blast of light to hit two, sending them staggering back as Vixen and Songbird turned to see Seraph come to their aid, quickly rushing into the Dark Warriors and fighting them, while Lilly and Thunderstrike continued to remove the last remaining Stalkers and Brutes.

"Go! I'll keep them busy!" Seraph yelled, swinging a blade of light at one of the dark warriors, cutting its body in half as it let out an inhuman shriek, before dissolving away.

"Oh, they don't have to worry about little old me." Psychonis cut in, her smirk growing as she saw the two heroines look at her, where she continued as she said. "They have bigger problems to deal with!"

The two portals behind her then merged into one, large portal, moving into the sky, before everyone heard a loud, deafening roar as something came out of the vortex, causing the Protectors to look in fear at what emerged from the dark portal.

It was a large shadow demon, resembling a dragon made of pure darkness, covered in bones that created a spiked like spine, razor sharp claws and tail, and a skull-like mask covered its face as it floated in the air, raising its head where it let out another roar, its lower jaws splitting open as its mouth widened.

Vixen felt great fear rising within her, knowing that this was a shadow demon known simply as a Nightmare, and while it was not as powerful as the Colossus that once leveled half the city, this brand of shadow demon was still a major threat, and one that needed to be stopped.

"Songbird..." Vixen said, causing the brunette to look over at her, where the heroine idol's eyes widened to see the red haired mystic shaking a little, before Vixen continued as she managed to pass her fear and say. "I... I can't fight it alone. V-Force is tied up with Shadowknight and the others are too busy with the rest. If we don't stop it, the damage it can cause will be unimaginable... please, help me fight it."

Songbird's eyes widened at the request, not only from hearing the fear in Vixen's voice, but also seeing the usually proud and stubborn mystic swallow her pride and as the idol for help, where Songbird remembered what V-Force said to them in training, where the brunette smiled and nodded at her teammate.

They might be rivals in love, but they were also Protectors, and that can first in times like this.

An aura of her energy glowing around her, Songbird and Vixen took to the air, ready to take the Nightmare on, while below, Psychonis watched on with a growing wicked smirk, looking forward to watching these heroines both die painfully.

After another clash with Shadowknight's blade, V-Force looked in shock to see Vixen and Songbird going up against the Nightmare alone, and was worried for their safety, having found one in the past.

"No!" V-Force yelled as he was about to rush in and help the girls, only to quickly dodge a swing of Shadowknight's sword, a stream of dark energy following the wake of the blade as the hero found himself once more fighting the dark spirit.

"Damn you!" V-Force let out as he clashed with the dark spirit, trying to get past him to help his team, but found that, despite his powers seeming to have a strong effect on shadow demons, Shadowknight seemed unfazed, easily blocking the hero's strikes and putting V-Force on the defensive.

"You have no honour, no soul..." V-Force growled as he pushed his blades against Shadowknight's shield before, much to the hero's shock, the dark spirit spoke for the first time as he replied with no emotions. "**_That is why I do not fear, unlike you... Now you will live long enough to watch them die.._****.**"

Shadowknight then pushed V-Force back as his shield glowed with dark energy, before firing a blast at the hero, who dodged as he looked wearily at the dark spirit, seeing that there was more to his foe than V-Force originally thought.

Seeing both heroines rushing towards it, the Nightmare let out a fearsome roar, before widening its mouth even more as it fired a blast of dark energy at the pair, who quickly went in seperate directions in the air to avoid the attack, which left a burning hole in the pier below, going deep into the rock beneath it.

Looking over at the damage, as well as seeing Vixen and Songbird trying to attack the large shadow demon, Fusionist let out a wicked laugh as he turned back to Red Nova and Dragonheart, where he said with a dark tone. "Too bad, I have to admit Songbird was cute, but looks like she's about to finally meet her end, along with you two!"

The construct of rock, metal and wood moved up then, as though to slam itself down on the two heroes, before, much to the villain's surprise, something powerful slammed into the torso section of his construct form, causing it to break apart as he jumped from it, landing on the roof of a stall, before narrowing his eyes to see Fighting Fury now standing in front of Dragonheart and Red Nova as orange energy surged around him.

"Looks like we got here just in time." The fighting hero said as he looked back at the two Protectors, who nodded their thanks.

Meanwhile, Deathstrike was finally forced to really move as energy shots now headed for him, where the gunslinging villain now found himself not only fighting Cyberstriker and Darkblade, but Quickshot as well as she traded shots with the villain, who growled in annoyance at the interruption of the StarCorps.

Seraph, meanwhile, was having a tough time against the legion of Dark Warriors, giving it his all to take down the dark creatures, before finding one coming at him from behind, ready to strike and leaving him unable to react fast enough.

But before Seraph was taken down, the Dark Warrior was cut down by a pair of blades, which followed as shurikens impaled the open areas of the armour upon what was left of the Dark Queen's forces, causing the warriors to fade as a thick mist as Cobalt Warrior and Midnight Raven came to the angelic hero's aid.

"Thanks for that. I wasn't sure how much longer I could've held them off." Seraph said honestly, getting a nod from the pair as the ninja hero replied. "It's no problem, afterall, us hero-types need to stick together."

Above the pier, beams of light shot at the winged Warriors, helping out Hitech, Fireguard and Zephyr, where Starlight flew next to the heroes and did her part, while back on the ground, blasts of dark energy helped Lilly and Thunderstrike with the remaining dark creatures as Shadow Walker stood with the girls, the sight at seeing their own back up made the small group smile.

Growling herself at the sight of the unwanted heroes and heroines showing up, Psychonis then acted, saying an incantation similar to one Vixen used as she held her hands out, a dark symbol appearing on the ground below her, before several dark spirits shot out towards Cobalt Warrior and Midnight Raven only, unlike Vixen's fox spirits, these spirits resembled lions, each letting out fearsome roars as rushed at the pair, where Seraph quickly used his light power to create a shield between them and the attack, groaning as he felt the dark energy collide against his, feeling the relentlessness from Psychonis' dark power.

Above, Vixen and Songbird continued to fight the Nightmare, trying to hit it with their energy and magic attacks from different angles, while keeping their distance so the demonic beast couldn't use its claws or tail to strike them down.

However, even with Vixen's magic, the beast was mostly unharmed as it continued to draw its maw open and fire blasts of dark energy at the pair, who were both growing tired from the constant dodging, knowing that if they stopped for a second, they would be dead.

Thinking for a moment, Vixen's eyes widened as an idea came to mind, where she yelled to her teammate. "Songbird, its mouth!"

Confused by Vixen's call, Songbird examined the dark beast, watching as it let out another blast, where the brunette then understood, knowing that while its body seemed near indestructible, one direct attack from within might just be enough to end the dark creature's existence.

Allowing another shot to pass her, Songbird flew over and beside Vixen, where both heroines began to charge up a combination of Vixen's magics and Songbird's unique energy, where the Nightmare turned its head, ready to attack, before the heroines struck, Songbird firing a huge blast of her energy, while Vixen's magic surrounded it, both giving it their all and causing the energy to take the form of a winged fox that collided with the Nightmare's attack, pushing it back, and consuming the demon with the energy, causing the wicked creature to screech in pain and rage as its body dissolved in a dark wisp, where the sight of the Nightmare defeated left many in awe as they watched the dark creature perish.

Shadowknight and V-Force stopped their battle as the helmeted hero smiled, seeing the teamwork between Vixen and Songbird, while Shadowknight remained impassive.

Even Psychonis, Fusionist and Deathstrike seemed unfazed as they regrouped, looking to see the Protectors and StarCorps surround them, ready to fight and bring them to justice.

"Oh, well. It was fun, but we did our part. See ya!" Psychonis then said with a smile as a dark portal opened behind the trio and quickly consumed them, vanishing with the larger portal, while Shadowknight seemed to disappear in a dark wisp before V-Force could stop him.

Letting out a growl, the hero then went down to the others, moving to check on Vixen and Songbird, who were both on their knees, panting in exhaustion.

"You both did good." V-Force said proudly, his complinet causing the two girls to smile, before Cobalt Warrior then approached the trio and asked in concern. "True, but what did Psychonis mean by 'They did their part'?"

-Other side of town-

Deep inside what appeared to be a normal hotel in Odaiba, within a temple-like structure, the sight of torn up corpses and charred bodies filled the sight of many as Red Phoenix, Dark Hawk, Asta and Charm Mistress walked over their victims, heading towards what looked like a statue of an ancient deity.

"That was too easy." Dark Hawk said in disappointment, having wanted a challenge from these mystic defenders.

"I can't believe I'm here and that idiot Fusionist gets to have the real fun." Charm Mistress pouted, narrowing her eyes as she thought of her fellow Legionnaire.

Both had been recruited by the Night Queen at the same time and, though she'd never admit it, the blonde found Fusionist to be very cute behind his mask, and had wanted him as her pet, only to find that his power prevented her from using her methods of mind control upon him, and his cheeky attitude eventually got on her nerves.

"Quiet, or you'll join them!" Red Phoenix snapped as her hands ignited in flame, not only showing her bound obedience toward the Night Queen, revealing she cared less for her allies and believed all save her Mistress were replaceable, but her actions and tone caused Dark Hawk and Charm Mistress to quickly silence themselves.

Though as a last defender rushed at them, a last ditch effort to stop the evil forces, Dark Hawk quickly swung her right wing at them, cutting the poor fool in half as his body fell to the ground.

With the final obstacle taken down, Red Phoenix turned her fire on the statue once she was close enough to it, where the fire-based villainess unleashed a powerful stream of fire at it until the stone began to melt, before it exploded in a burst of energy that was inside it, a disturbance that, back at the pier, V-Force, Vixen, Fireguard, Zephyr and Seraph felt, sensing the flow of the natural order of magic shifting, and not in a good way.

-Sometime later-

Back at the Protectors' base, the group saw the new reports, not only on the attack on the pier, but also the hotel attack, seeing what was left of the statue as Rika, who was sitting on the couch with Nene, said in worry. "That was a ward. One of several made to block the flow of dark magic from the Dark Realm to our world. Now the barrier is weaker because of this."

"So whatever the Night Queen is planning, she needed more dark magic flowing in the world?" Tai asked with some worry, getting a nod from the mystic heroine, while the rest of the Protectors expressed the same worry and concerns as the older Kamiya.

"This also means whatever she has planned, it's going to take time. We just need to figure out their next move, but for now, we need to rest. It's been a long day." Davis then said, where he was just as worried as the rest of the team, but knowing there wasn't much more they could do now, the maroon haired hero decided it would be best if he and his teammates took sometime to relax and recover after the pier incident.

"I'll talk to my mystic contacts tomorrow and see if they can help us figure out what is going on." Rika offered, getting a nod from Davis as he smiled at her, causing the redhead to fight off a blush from the trusting expression of her leader, before the group began to leave for the rest of the day.

Remaining on the couch, however, Rika and Nene sat in silence, before the redhead turned and said. "Thanks for trusting me out there."

"No problem. We're teammates after all." Nene replied, before gaining a smirk as she then added. "But don't think for a moment this means I'm going to back off while you take Davis."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Rika replied with her own smirk, before sighing as she then added. "But still, we both have to deal with the bigger issue when it comes to Davis..."

-Much later-

As the sun set on the day, Davis was in a more cheerful mood, feeling content and relaxed as he walked alongside Kari at the park, the pair having met up just to hang out for their weekend and spend a little time together, both taking their minds off of their respective secret personas and their agendas.

Kari, meanwhile, was happy herself, not only for being with her love, but also for the fact that another obstacle in her plans was removed, knowing that with the dark magic in their world rising, she would be that much closer to crushing V-Force and his Protectors, and make way for her ascension, making her world and having Davis by her side at the time.

'Then there is this...' Kari thought to herself as she stopped walking for a moment, taking in the back of maroon haired love as a dark thought that came to her mind often enough came back once again.

It wasn't the first time it came to her mind, using her mark on Davis, showing him the way things should be. She knew that he must have some kind of power inside of him, and she imagined him standing in dark armour, standing over V-Force's broken form, ready to embrace her and rule alongside her.

'Davis, you have been so loyal to me, but now it's time you were devoted to me completely.' Kari thought as she gave off a small and devious grin, her right hand glowed lightly with a dark aura as she started to bring it up, about to mark Davis and bind him to her will, to turn him into the dark champion she desired.

However, in the moment, Davis turned and looked at her, causing Kari to keep her arm at bay as she saw the genuine and sincere smile on her face, his brown eyes filled with warmth as he told her. "I'm glad we can spend time together, Kari. I really miss the days when we saw each other everyday, but I truly appreciate the time I do get to be with you. I'm glad I have you in my life, I just don't know what I did to deserve someone as sweet and kind as you."

And just like each time the thought of marking Davis came to her, his warmth, his kindness, his love would always cause Kari to stop, finding herself unable to mark Davis and take away his kindhearted side and bring out the darkness she knew he surely held deep within his heart, where she would cancel out her spell and to wrap just her arms around his left and lean her head against his shoulder.

"I'm the one who should be asking that, asking what I did to deserve you in my life, but I'm thankful for it." Kari then replied with a caring smile as the pair continued to walk together, where Kari thought to herself. 'Someday, I'll show you the world we can have, Davis. It will be perfect, just you and me together forever.'

Seeing her smile, meanwhile, Davis kept up his own smile, while he thought to himself with determination. 'No matter what it takes, I'll keep that smile on your face, Kari, and I won't let anyone, not even the Night Queen, take that from you.'

Within the Dark Realm, Zhaitan re-framed from growling, seeing that his champion missed a perfect opportunity, but smiled nonetheless.

'**Patience. Both will come to me in time.**' The Dark One thought with a smirk.


	5. Chapter 5

Only a few nights after the Dark Legion attacked Odaiba Pier, as well as destroying a magical Ward, Quickshot and Midnight Raven were out on patrol, with Cyberstriker and Darkblade alongside them as the deputized heroes and the Protectors kept their eyes out for trouble.

With the increased activity of the Dark Legion, as well as other criminal elements, the separate hero teams of the StarCorps and the Protectors had decided to work together, knowing not only that there was strength in numbers but with their unique skills combined, they could prove a real threat to the Dark Queen and those against them.

"Thanks again for working with us. I know it's not the usual for you, but with the Police Department as stretched as it is, we could use all the help we can get." Midnight Raven said as he leaped from one roof top to another, looking back at the brother and sister hero duo, who nodded in reply as they jumped alongside him.

"It's no problem." Darkblade replied, giving a small smile behind her mask as she added. "After facing the forces of the Night Queen, this is like a walk in the park."

"Don't get too cocky, Darkblade." Cyberstriker said, keeping his relationship status as brother and sister a secret, before he told her. "Just because we aren't facing the Night Queen right now doesn't mean she's the only threat out there. We also must be wary of any criminal activity, no matter how insignificant it appears."

"He's right, we need to..." Quickshot started to say, before the sounds of an alarm from the nearby bank caught the heroes' attention, causing them to stop on a roof nearby to see a small group of armed, masked men leaving the bank with several bagfuls of cash in their hands.

"Finally some action. I was starting to think this would be a boring night." Darkblade then said with a smirk, causing Cyberstriker to let out a sigh at his sister's cockyness, where they saw the crooks rush into a nearby alley, causing the heroes to jump down and make their way to the streets as they gave chase.

However, the StarCorps and Protectors then stopped at the entryway to the alley as they saw the gunmen backing up, looking in front of them to see another figure before them.

Looking at the individual, knowing it was a woman due to their more slender figure, the girl had black hair and blue eyes, but had a mask that covered her mouth, nose and her identity.

She wore a tube top showing her tone stomach and her large, D-cup sized breasts, with a leather jacket over it, along with shorts that are gold and black and boots that were steel colored.

Finally, in the girl's hands was a long steel pole staff, being her weapon of choice, which she swung around with a clear skill and grace, leaving the heroes wondering just who she was and whether or not she was on their side.

'Wow...' Cyberstriker thought in his head, glad his helmet covered his face, less everyone saw the massive blush on his cheeks as he saw this masked girl, who then quickly shot at the bandits, swinging her staff and slamming it into the side of one's face, sending him crashing into the guy next to him, causing both to go flying into the wall nearby, both falling to the ground unconscious, before the others moved to strike the unknown vigilante.

While it was six against one, the masked female continued to show her skills, not only did she move with her continued grace, avoiding each punch, swing and strike the circling criminals threw at her, but she not only countered their attacks with swift strikes from her staff, alongside punches and kicks, but she used her surroundings and the strength of the thugs to her advantage, one instance kicking up a trash can lid, throwing it one of the crooks charging at her, before throwing him at two behind her, knocking all three down.

Quickly grabbing the lid again, the masked girl threw it at another thug who was about to fire his gun at her, knocking the weapon out of his hand, before she quickly closed the distance, bringing her left fist up and slamming it into the crook's face, sending him flying back unconscious, before one of the two remaining thugs saw her coming for him, causing him to grab the lid to use as a shield.

However, much to the crook's dismay, the heroine aimed lower, delivering a swift kick to his lower regions, causing the last thug, as well as Cyberstriker and Midnight Raven, to cringe at the pain they knew the guy was in as he fell to the ground, before the masked girl glared at the last thug, who dropped his gun and slowly backed up against the wall in fear.

However, that fear quickly turned into a dark smirk as the crook reached into his pocket, pulling out a strange device with a syringe on one end and a red liquid in the tube at the other, causing the masked girl to back up a little, showing a sudden worry of her own.

Confused by the masked girl's actions, before Cyberstiker or the others could ask about it, the criminal quickly injected the needle into his neck, causing him to give a groan at first, before suddenly giving off a great cry as sparks of thunder surged around his body

"Oh yeah! That's the stuff!" The crook then yelled with an insane laugh, continuing to laugh as the electricity shot all over the place, shorting out light bulbs and cracking the walls around him, a sight that caused the four heroes to quickly jump in and to help who they now saw as a new ally.

As one of the stray bolts headed right for the masked girl, acting on his duties to protect all civilians, Cyberstriker jumped down before the raven haired girl, charging up his energy and forming a shield, protecting her from the harm that would've befallen her.

"Stand back... We'll take it from here." The tai chi hero said to the girl, not even looking back as he moved closer to his fellow heroes, who were each ready to strike at the out of control crook.

"Alright, under the authority of the Odaiba PD, I order you to cease and desist before..." Quickshot started to say as she drew her pistols out, knowing for the less dangerous threats to Odaiba she had to inform them of their rights, only for, much to her shock and the shock of the other heroes, a trash dumpster came flying over their heads, slamming into the crook and pinning him against the wall, the only signs that he was alive was his twitching hands poking out of the side, where the heroes turned to see the masked girls wiping her hands together, indicating that she was the one who threw it.

'Ok, note to self, watch her swings.' The four heroes thought in unison, seeing that there was more to this girl than meets the eyes, where she looked at them and said nonchalantly. "Thanks for the save, but I could have handled it. I've been dealing with these thugs for a while now while you cops have had your hands full."

Quickshot and Midnight Raven both frowned at the jab but remained quiet, knowing that the girl wasn't all wrong in what she had said, with the police, even with their advancements, being stretched thin with the rise in crime since the Night Queen's appearance.

"Even still, you shouldn't face them on your own, ms..." Midnight Raven then started to say, hoping to get this masked vigilante's name.

"Call me Azumi." The masked girl, now identified as Azumi, said with the same nonchalant as she walked past the two StarCorps, both slightly fuming from Azumi's attitude as they watched her walk toward the pinned crook.

"Thanks for the save, though." Azumi then said as she looked at Cyberstriker, who was once again glad his helmet covered his face in order to hide his blush, while behind her mask, Darkblade grinned as she thought. 'Looks like big bro has a little crush on Azumi.'

"Anyway, what was...?" Quickshot began to ask, wanting to know what the thug used on himself to gain such power, before seeing Azumi reach into the thug's pocket, removed a syringe similar to the one he injected himself with, and tossed it to the StarCorps heroine, who caught it and examined the device.

"It's a new drug filling the streets, called 'Rage'. Gives creeps like this loser a quick power boost, even some meta powers, but in the end, their minds are left broken and their bodies wind up failing them." Azumi explained as she pushed the dumpster out of the way, where the heroes saw the thug fall to the group, a distant but deranged look on his face as he laughed lightly.

"This isn't good." Quickshot said as her visor analyzed the substance in the device as she added. "If anymore of this starts to spread on the streets, we could have our hands full of deranged crooks with unstable powers. We need to find the ones selling this and shut them down."

"That's the easy part. The Iron Spikes are the ones selling it." Azumi then informed as she leaned against the wall, where the StarCorps members looked at the street vigilante with shock and worry.

The Iron Spikes were one of the more notorious street gangs in Odaiba, led by a meta human named Ivan Doblest, who could cover his entire body in a steel-like substance, causing sharp spine-like blades to come out of his skin.

However, as far as the StarCorps had been concerned, the Iron Spikes have been laying low for the past few years, trying to stay out of trouble since a certain individual the hero cops knew well defeated Ivan in battle, earning the respect of the gang leader in the process.

"Raven, call in the others, especially Fighting Fury. He has history with Ivan and can probably help us understand why the gang would get into the drug business." Quickshot said to her teammate, before frowning when she heard Azumi give off a scoff.

"That part's easy. When I tracked them down the other day, I ran into their suppliers, and they're not the friendly type." The masked vigilante said, before reaching into her pocket, pulling out what looked like a patch from someone's jacket, showing them the symbol, which looked like a black diamond with a silver C in the middle, a symbol both the StarCorps and the Protectors knew well.

Simply calling themselves the Cartel, the group was an international crime syndicate who were said to not only have their hands in all forms of illegal activities, but they were also able to deal with super powered individuals, as it is said the group's entire leadership were villains of various powers and types.

"If the Cartel is in Odaiba, then just selling drugs on the streets can't be their only goal, we need to catch the one supplying them to Iron Spikes as well." Cyberstriker said, getting nods from Darkblade and the StarCorps, before he looked at Azumi, wondering how she would react.

"I can tell you are used to working alone, but we could really use your help in this situation. Please, show us where the Iron Spikes and the Cartel are meeting." The tai chi hero asked, where Azumi seemed to look thoughtful for a moment.

"Alright, but only because you asked so nicely." The masked girl replied with a sly tone as she glanced toward Cyberstriker, expressing a friendlier side to her that made Cyberstriker blush once again, which also caused Darkblade to silently giggle once again at seeing her brother getting flustered.

'Seems Henry really likes this Azumi girl.' Darkblade thought, suppressing her desire to laugh. 'I just can't wait to get back and tell the girls that my brother has a crush on her.'

-Thirty minutes later-

Looking down from the roof of a nearby building, hidden within the more questionable streets of Odaiba, the entire StarCorps, Cyberstriker, Darkblade and Azumi looked down at the supposed abandoned building next door, seeing not only several street thugs sitting around as lookouts, but several armed figures as well.

Taking in the forms of the armed figures, the heroes and heroines couldn't identify any of them, for all were not only cast in the same outfits, consisting of black bullet proof vests, dark gray undershirts that had the Cartel patch personally crafted on the left shoulder, but each had a ski mask covering all their features, while each wore a blue visor over their eyes, which Azmui informed beforehand that they were used for night vision, heat vision and to identify individuals in the room, to see who was meant to be there and who was meant to be exterminated.

Moving quietly and quickly, following Azumi's guidance, the group of heroes made it to the top of the other building without the guards noticing, using the roof access to enter and make their way down, looking to see some kind of meeting going on all the entire lobby was filled with Iron Spike gang members, several Cartel guards, and two individuals who were conversing.

Looking at Iron Spikes' leader, Ivan, he was a heavily built man, with his chest looking large enough to stop bullets alone, while his arms were larger than Marcus', continuing to give him an intimidating appearance.

He had short silver hair and was dressed in a black top and a pair of green cargo pants, looking more of a mercenary himself than a lead of a street gang, but what caught the attention of the heroes and heroines was the black filtered mask Ivan was wearing over his face as he spoke with his guest.

Looking at said guest, the visors the StarCorps were wearing quickly went to work looking to identify the individual as they took in her appearance.

Looking over her, the woman wore a red bodysuit, which was opened in a V-shape, showing her stomach and the sides of her breasts, while black boots and gloves covered her legs and arms, as did several dark green vines.

She wore a cape that resembled red rose petals, with five petals sticking out around her neck, while a dark visor covered her eyes, but revealed her long, blonde hair, which was tied in a ponytail.

All could be seen of her face were her lips, her deep red lips that formed a dark smirk, but having access to tons of data stored on her from the files back at the StarCorps' base, Cobalt Warrior silently informed his allies as to who they were up against.

"Lady Planteur Fonce, a plant based villainess believed to be a part of the Cartel's council and head of their operations in France." The blond haired hero whispered, where Cyberstriker and Darkblade mentally prepared themselves, having had enough experience with plant types from training with Lilly and fighting against Dark Ivy.

"Your men are getting sloppy, Monsieur Doblest, they seem to be selling our product to anyone who wants it, causing several junkies to go rampant recently. We cannot afford to have anyone tracking our shipments so soon." The blonde haired villainess said to the larger man, who scoffed in reply.

"What did you expect, that my boys can just waltz up to your high end clients and just sell them your... 'Rage' without being noticed? Look at what you're dealing with." Ivan replied in an irritated tone.

Fury, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes at Ivan, angry to see his old acquaintance slip back into these kinds of dealings.

Before joining the police force, Marcus was no different from Azumi, a street thug himself putting things right the only way he knew how, with his fists.

Then, back when the Iron Spikes were causing havoc and misery in the street, Marcus challenged Ivan to a fight, one that nearly leveled a city block, ending in Marcus' victory, before he learned Ivan's history, that he did what he did to get what he needed to help his siblings back home, ensuring he could provide his family with the money they needed, no matter the cost to others.

It was then that a sort of truce formed between the then vigilante and the gang leader, with the Iron Spikes all but retiring and Marcus eventually joining StarCorps.

But now, seeing Ivan dealing with the Cartel of all people made the fighting hero's blood boil, where he looked at the others, who were seeing the stacks of containers carrying the super drug, and said. "I'm going to cause a distraction. Help when you can."

"Fury, just wait..." Quickshot tried to say, not wanting her teammate and boyfriend to do anything rash, before Fighting Fury jumped down from the hiding spot, landing with a loud thud as his body crackled with orange energy, surprising Ivan and Lady Planteur, while causing her guards to point their weapons at the hero as the Iron Spikes all looked ready to tackle the hero at a moment's notice.

"Damn it..." Ivan said under his breath as he saw Fighting Fury glaring at him, knowing full well who he was and why he was here, as well as afraid for the individual's safety.

"Oh? A friend of yours, Ivan? Deal with him." Lady Planteur Fonce said with a dark smirk, stepping back a few feet, along with her guards as Ivan moved in front of Fighting Fury, his imposing figure towering over the fighting hero, who glared up at him.

"I thought we had an understanding, Ivan." Fury said in an angry tone, where Ivan shrugged and replied. "Something's just can't change, Fury."

"Sometimes we lose control of the situation and must play with the cards we have been dealt." Ivan mumbled, being a small habit of his as he would express his thoughts from time to time.

"Why work with the Cartel and sell this poison in our streets?" Fury then asked, wanting to know why Ivan would deal with crooks like the Cartel in the first place.

"I don't have a choice." Ivan replied in a low whisper, his eyes darting around, confusing Fighting Fury at first, before he looked around, seeing the other Iron Spikes starting to surround the pair, where he then noticed how they were all acting.

Despite the dark smirks on their faces, most of the gang members looked out of it, their eyes having a far away look in them, where Fury's eyes widened in realization as he looked back at Ivan's mask.

'Planteur must be controlling them, and whatever it is, it's airborne!' Fury thought in shock, before quickly tapping the side of his visors, causing a rebreather to materialize over his mouth and nose, something the other heroes noticed as the other StarCorps did the same, while Cyberstriker made sure his mask was secure.

"Aw, he saw through my little trick. Too bad, he looked like he would have been fun to play with." Lady Planteur Fonce commented, before giving a small sigh as she then focused her attention to those under her thrall.

"Kill him, and if your boss doesn't fight, kill him as well!" The plant Villainess declared as she turned with her guards to take their product and leave, while the Iron Spikes all let out rage filled cries as they charged at Fighting Fury, while Ivan's skin took on a silver-liquid like form as dozens of razor spikes came out of his being, forming from a liquid and to a pure solid, joining his brainwashed gang members to fight the hero.

As Planteur Fonce and her men approached the stacks of crates, however, they stopped as Darkblade, Quickshot, Starlight and Shadow Walker landed in front of her, with the three StarCorps heroines pointing either their weapons or energy flowing hands at the villainess.

"Planteur Fonce, you are wanted for a number of illegal activities around the globe. Come quietly or we'll use force." Quickshot declared, ready to open fire if she had to at the villainess, who just laughed in reply.

"After everything we've been through, do you really think I'll start cooperating with you now?" Planteur Fonce asked back, smirking behind her mask as she prepared to take on Quickshot, finding herself divided between disposing of the auburn haired heroine or prying her filter off and brainwashing her to obey her commands.

Eventually, the idea of just disposing of her came to mind as the masked villainess brought up both arms, where several tendrils made of vine shot out towards the heroines, causing them to quickly jump out of the way as the Cartel guards opened fire.

Meanwhile, Cobalt Warrior, Midnight Raven, Cyberstriker and Azumi jumped down between the Iron Spikes and Fighting Fury and Ivan, allowing the two to duke it out as the four of them battled the mind controlled thugs, quickly dispatching the gang members as Fury and Ivan clashed, their hands clenched as they tried to push one another back, both glaring at each other as the orange energy flickered off of Fury's form, wanting to go all out, while the hero kept himself in check, now realizing that Ivan was not apart of this willingly.

"She came to some of my men first... put them under her control... before I knew it, more than half my crew were under her control... I managed to protect myself, but it was too late to stop her. If I didn't comply, we'd have them either kill themselves or do worse..." Ivan said as he traded blows with Fighting Fury, who delivered a swift punch to Ivan's right arm, cracking the metallic skin, before it quickly regenerated, allowing the larger man to keep fighting.

Meanwhile, as her guards were knocked out, Lady Planteur Fonce moved in for close combat, creating several thorn-like blades on her arms as she fought Darkblade and Quickshot head on, while using her onslaught of vines to try and grab Starlight and Shadow Walker.

"Mes chers, You are all so much fun, If only I could play with you a little longer." The plant villainess said with a small chuckle, before quickly dodging as Azumi came at her from the side, swinging her staff at her, where the villainess saw all of the Iron Spikes, save Ivan, out cold as the other heroes glared at her, where the villainess looked at the masked vigilante.

"You... I thought I told that idiot over there to dispose of you. It seems he either ignored me or left you alive on purpose." Planteur Fonce said with a more aggressiveness in her voice, leaving the heroes puzzled, just wondering who exactly Azumi was.

"I'm not too sure myself." Azumi admitted as she moved into a fighting stance toward the blonde haired villainess, where she declared. "But either way, I am taking you down!"

Seeing herself outnumbered, however, the plant villainess decided that discretion was the better part of valour and decided to leave while she could, though angry that she had to leave those she detested alive, as well as leave the 'Rage' behind.

"Not this time, and certainly not the next. Au revoir!" Planteur Fonce called as a series of vines shot around her, wrapping around her being and dragging back into the ground, taking away the plant villainess and leaving Azumi with a great anger as her hands began to shake.

"Easy, she'll resurface again and we'll get her." Cyberstriker said reassuringly as he put a hand on Azumi's shoulder, causing her to relax a little, before everyone heard a loud crash, looking to see that Fury had delivered a powerful punch to Ivan's stomach, sending him flying across the room and slamming into a wall, where they saw the taller man groaning as he tried to get up, his skin returning to normal and his filter mask to then fall off, where they saw the smile on the gang leader's face.

"You... you still throw a good punch..." Ivan groaned, before falling face first into the ground, where Fury went to help the gang leader up, part of him upset to have to fight him once again, knowing now that Ivan and his gang would have to face jail time, but happy that he could help him in his time of need.

-A few minutes later-

The StarCorps, Protectors and Azumi watched as Ivan and his gang were loaded into the police vehicles, as well as the cache of drugs the Cartel had them selling, with Marcus making sure that the higher ups knew of Ivan's predicament, putting in a good word for his old friend.

"Well, I did my part, I'm off now. There are still crooks on these streets, and worse rising each day." Azumi said, about to turn and head out.

"It was good working with you. If you ever decide you want to move on from just the streets, you know where to find us." Marcus said with a smirk, seeing a part of how he used to be in the girl.

"Thanks." Azumi just said, before getting a glint in her eyes as she walked up to Cyberstriker and said. "And as for you..."

Cyberstriker was panicking at first when Azumi approached him, which then grew as she seemed to quickly start lifting his helmet, just passing his mouth as he started to yell. "Hey wait, what are you...?!"

However, the tai chi hero was quickly silenced as Azumi pulled her own face mask down and set her lips on his, giving him a deep kiss, surprising Cyberstriker greatly, more so as he felt himself reacting to Azumi's actions and found he kissed her back.

"I'll see you around." Azumi then said as she broke the kiss, quickly placing her face mask back on and sliding Cyberstriker's helmet back down, before she took off, leaving the tai chi hero dazed at what had just really occurred, while the other heroes laughed at his stunned expression.

-Meanwhile-

Within a secured location, Planteur Fonce, with her mask off, revealing her true face as Catherine Denuerve, the billionaire heiress to a powerful family in France, where she sat in a chair as several monitors turned on, revealing the other members of the Cartel's inner circle, before they realized one of the screens hadn't turned on yet.

"Please tell me he received the summon." One of the Cartel leaders groaned, before the screen turned on, revealing Deathstrike on the other end.

"About time, mate." Another Cartel leader, one with an Australian accent that looked like a cross between a human and a crab then said.

"Keep your damn shell on." Deathstrike replied with a groan, where he added. "It's not like the Night Queen lets me walk freely around here."

"No, but having you with her Dark Legion has benefited us greatly." Another member then added, before they looked at Catherine and said. "Unlike your deal with those worthless thugs that lost our shipment."

"As I recall, it was your idea to use them in the first place." Catherine replied defensively, before a much older member on the council stopped the bickering as he said. "Enough. Even if the 'Rage' is no longer being circulated, we still have other avenues we can take."

"Agreed. With the Night Queen and her Legion causing havoc, there are more opportunities for us to start businesses in Odaiba, and the police and heroes are too busy to deal with them or to investigate." Another member said.

"Then there's KnightCorps. Their funding seems to be funneled towards those 'Communication' towers Knight spoke of, but from his more recent activities, we can safely assume they are meant for something more." Catherine then added, having seen the real reports of KnightCorps activities, as well as knowing about the small group of heroes getting in his way.

"Regardless, we should continue as planned, and allow Deathstrike to continue on with the Night Queen. In time, the fruits of our labour will come to bare, and we'll be a lot richer in the end." Another council member said, causing smriks to form on each members' faces.

But for Michael, his smirk was for another reason as he thought. 'Damn idiots, only thinking about money. Once the boss is done and her new world is created, money won't mean a damn thing.'

Eventually the meeting ended, with only one member of the Cartel knowing what the future really held for them all.


	6. Chapter 6

It was the middle of the afternoon at Odaiba High, but much of the school was empty as the stands of the soccer field were packed to watch the match between their team and Koto's.

Keeping their team in check, Davis and Takuya knew better than to let their guard down, especially with Mikey on the other team coordinating their opponents.

Off to the side, the Odaiba High cheerleaders put on a performance to keep the school spirit, while in the bleachers, Tai sat with his arm around Sora, a scene Mimi had Izzy mimic with her next to them as TK sat with Kazu and Kenta, with Zoe yelling down to the team below, causing Yujin, who was next to them, to get a little startled, especially since Angie was on the other side of him, trapping the poor redhead between the two raging girls, while Haru, who was in the seat below, laughed nervously, not only feeling bad for Yujin, but also at how Ai rested her head on his shoulder.

Nearby, Henry, Suzie and Cody were cheering both teams on, while Tora was a few seats from them, where his focus was less on the game and on one particular cheerleader as he watched Eri in action, watching as she gave it her all in her performance, leaving Tora smiling at her dedication, while solemn as he thought that a girl like her would never be his, even as a friend.

Relaxing back in her seat, Zoe then gulped as she felt a presence behind her, not looking as Rika and Nene, both in disguises to hide their model and idol identities from the world, leaned in closer to her.

"So..." Rika started to say, before Nene picked up and asked. "Which one's Kari?"

"She's the short haired brunette in the middle." Zoe replied with a nervous laugh, where the two Protectors narrowed their eyes at said girl in the cheerleading squad, seeing the girl what held Davis' heart as they watched her lead the cheer, noticing many in the crowd watching her as well, while both Rika and Nene tried to see what made her so special.

Meanwhile, down in the field, the ball was now being kicked by a young man, around the same age as Davis, with spiked blue hair and brown eyes and a cocky smirk on his face as he neared the goal.

Max Tanaka, though smart for his age, had a small air of arrogance about him, thinking that he deserved to be recognized and receive praise, and now, he believed, that was his moment, to get the winning shot and be the number one champ over Davis Motomiya.

'Time for me to shine...' Max started to think as he moved to kick the ball, only for his eyes to widen as a player from the opposite team skid past him, knocking the ball away and causing him to fall back, nearly spraining his foot.

But as he looked back up, the blue haired boy growled as he saw Davis quickly kick the ball, saving the game and delivering the winning goal, causing the stadium to let out a roar of cheers, especially the cheerleaders and some of the female viewers, causing Max to growl even more as he thought. 'That should've been me. They should be cheering my name.'

As everyone high fived Davis, Max then gained a confused expression as he saw the maroon haired boy then run over to him.

"You ok, Max?" Davis then asked with genuine concern and respect for his teammate as he held his hand out to help him up, which Max reluctantly took as Davis helped him over to the bleachers.

"Just put some ice on it and sit for a bit. It didn't look too bad, but I do have a friend who's a doctor if you need it." Davis offered as he set the boy down and sat next to him.

Max then sat quietly in thought, before looking at Davis and asked with curiosity. "Can I ask you something? How do you do it?"

"Do want?" Davis asked in confusion, before he saw Max look over Davis' shoulder, causing him to turn around, where he saw about twenty girls, who all began to scream for him, some even proclaiming that they want to have his babies, causing Davis to shudder a little.

"How do you get so much attention from them?" Max asked, confused as to the reaction Davis was giving toward the girls all over him.

"Honestly, I have no idea, but trust me, it's not as glamorous as you think. Sometimes it can get a little creepy." Davis replied, leaving Max silent and objective to Davis' views.

'You're kidding right? You can have an army of girls who would do anything you want, praise you, worship you, and you'd throw all that away?' Max thought, thinking Davis was a bigger fool than he thought, before looking to see a young green haired boy and a blonde coming towards them.

"Great game, Davis." Haru said with a smile, causing Davis to reply with a smirk. "Thanks, Haru. I need to get going, but would you and Ai mind making sure the nurse sees Max here before you leave?"

"No problem." Haru replied with a thumbs up and a considerate attitude, causing Davis to smile back.

Though the two were of different classes, Davis and Haru met each other when the older boy saw Haru trying to practice soccer one day, and decided to help. Since then, the two had been good friends, though neither knew the other's identities as V-Force and Responder.

Turning back to Max, Davis then said. "You did good out there."

"Thanks." Max just said in a voice of disinterest, though Davis didn't hear it as he went off, while Max waited for the nurse to come check on him, leaving the blue haired boy in thought.

'If Davis doesn't want all fame and glory, all the girls to love him, that's fine with me. I'll make them love me, and I know just the way to do it.'

-Meanwhile-

Inside the girls' locker room, the cheerleaders were all changing, with Kari having removed her top, about ready to put her shirt on as she thought about her love and how great he was today, before she heard the other girls start to talk and swoon over HER Davis.

"Davis is such a dreamboat, isn't he?" A blonde cheerleader asked with hearts in her eyes, ones the others shared as an auburn haired girl replied back. "Totally! I would like love to have his arms around me and know what it's like to kiss him."

"If he's as skilled in kissing as he is in soccer, I bet we wouldn't be disappointed." Another of the cheerleaders said with a small giggle, which made the others laugh alongside her.

Kari, who was still facing her locker, felt her hands clench as darker thoughts came to mind, of putting these girls in their place and reminding them of who was in charge, of who Davis belonged to, before she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking to see Eri smile as the pink haired girl then said with a caring voice. "You're really lucky to have someone like Davis in your life."

Her words not only caused Kari to calm down, but for the other cheerleaders to deflate, remembering that Davis was somewhat dating Kari, before the girls quickly surrounded the brunette and bombarded her with questions.

"So what's it actually like to be with a guy like Davis?"

"Is he as charming as everyone says he is?"

"Have you kissed yet?"

"Have you seen him naked?"

"Have you any luck getting into his pants and seeing what he packing?"

Twitching her eyes at three of them, Kari remained calm as she replied. "No, we haven't kissed really yet, and I have not seen him naked or further than that, but yes, he's kind, charming... just absolutely amazing to be with."

'And he's mine.' Kari then thought with the darker side of her rising again.

"Can you see a future with him?" One of the girls then asked, her words causing a light smile to appear on Kari's face, before she nodded.

"Yes... yes I can." The brunette replied with a smile, though not the future any of the other girls were thinking, imagining her dark world, with Davis as her Dark King by her side.

-Later on-

After getting the medical attention he needed, finding that his leg would be fine and that he just needed to keep pressure off of it, Max had left the soccer field and returned home, entering the seclusion of his room, where he had a workbench set up, showing that amongst the various cables, wires and other pieces of technology was a specially designed tech gauntlet he had been working on.

"Just a few more checks and it should be good for a test run." Max said to himself with a smirk.

Based on his calculations, once operational, this gauntlet would allow him to alter the brainwaves to those he desired and turn any girl he wanted into his devoted slave, leaving them fawning over him, doing whatever he desired, and tonight, he planned to give it a test run, and he had a few targets in mind, that is if he could find them at first.

-That night-

With half of their group in the air, the others jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Vixen, Songbird, Zephyr, Lilly, Thunderstrike and Darkblade were all out on patrol tonight, or as Lilly liked to joke, 'a girl's night out', as the guys had plans for the evening and could not be out with them.

"Ah, this is great, just us ladies and none of the guys to cut into our fun." Lilly said with a laugh as the group stopped on one roof as Zephyr, Vixen and Songbird floated near them.

"Yeah, as much as I like them, the guys can really cramp our style sometimes." The winged heroine then added, causing the girls to laugh a bit.

"I'll remember that." Cody then said through their comms, causing some of the girls to let out an 'eep', having forgotten that Cody was still on comms, before Zephyr replied with a sweatdrop. "But of course we don't mean you, Cody, hehe."

"Sure..." The young boy replied as he sat back in his chair by the monitoring station, keeping his eyes out on anything to alert the girls to as they continued their patrol.

Meanwhile, not too far from the girls' position, Dark Hawk, Psychonis, Charm Mistress and Dark Ivy were walking down an alleyway, ready for a night on the town and the fun they could have.

"This is great. Mistress doesn't need us right now, so we can have all the fun we want tonight." Psychonis said as she stretched her arms over her head, looking forward to whatever kind of mayhem she and her female friends could cause this evening.

"Just don't go too far, otherwise the Night Queen will make us all suffer." Dark Hawk said in reply, her tone of seriousness as she recalled the last time they were allowed off their metaphorical leashes and the dastardly events after they returned.

"Oh relax, will you, Bird Brain? We're not going to go crazy, and it's not like we're going to run into any of those loser heroes anyways." Charm Mistress snapped as the group rounded the corner, only to stop and stare as the Protector girls' did the same, the two groups staring at one another, before quickly getting into fighting stances.

"Did you really have to jinx us?" Dark Ivy asked with a somewhat board tone as she grew vines from her arms, creating several blade-like thorns as she prepared to fight.

"Just shut up and fight them!" Dark Hawk suddenly yelled as she brought her own blades out, while Darkblade drew her sword, ready to clash with the villainess swords lady.

"You four aren't going anywhere except a prison cell." Songbird declared as her body glowed with her energy, her fists ready to fire at the four and take them out.

"Sorry but I don't do prison." Charm Mistress said back, before commenting as her eyes glowed pink. "I am too cute for such an ugly place. Besides, I think a cage is more suited for you, Songbird."

"Seriously, just stop talking and fight!" Psychonis yelled as magic circles appeared in her hands, which grew, taking shape as several lions of dark energy that then shot out towards the Protectors, causing Vixen to do the same as her spirit foxes clashed with the lions, dispelling one another as the two groups of females began to fight.

Meanwhile, as the fighting raged, nearby, Max, with his gauntlet now equipped on his right arm, rounded the corner to see not only the girls he was looking for, but four of the ladies of the Dark Legion that caught his eye from the news.

'This is too perfect!' Max thought, before looking down at his gauntlet as a smirk grew on his face, where he said to himself. "Time to see if all that work paid off."

Max then turned on the switches on his devices, before hitting a few buttons as a small pulse went off it.

Not even a second later, all ten heroines and villainesses stopped in their tracks, a blank look appearing on all their faces as a light blue hue filled their eyes, before they all turned and looked at Max with love and devotion in their eyes.

"Master!" They all yelled excitedly as they rushed to him, with Songbird pressing herself on one side of his body, Vixen the other, and Charm Mistress embracing him from the back as the girls encircled him and began to praise him like he was their world.

"Perfect." Max said, pleased with the results as he looked upon the heroines and villainesses, taking in the sight of the devotion and love they were now expressing, before deciding to give his device another test.

"You girls will do anything I say, right?" He asked, smiling as Songbird and Vixen continued to rub his chest, where the red haired heroine replied happily. "Anything for you, Master."

"Then you and Songbird kiss each other. Put on a little performance for your Master." Max commanded, continuing to allow his position of power to get the better of him as he waited to see how they would react.

And pleased with the results, Vixen took the lead as she set an arm around Songbird and pulled her in for a deep and longing kiss, causing Songbird to moan within Vixen's mouth, before kissing her back.

While the girls remained in their entranced and devoted states, fawning all over the blue haired boy, trying to reach the heroines though their communicators, concern filled Cody as he got no reply, but he could hear the girls speaking, going on and sounding all lovestruck.

"Girls...? Girls, what's going on?" Cody asked with confusion as he heard the girls on his end, before looking at the monitors, showing that something was off with their brainwaves as the comms went dead, causing Cody to panic as he quickly called in the others.

-Half an hour later-

As the boys were suiting up, Davis looked to Cody and asked. "What happened again?"

"They ran into four of the Dark Legion members, began to fight, and then... I don't know, they all started to act strange, even their brainwaves are looking strange." Cody replied as he pointed to the screen, which Izzy looked at before putting his helmet on.

"It looks like something is overriding their thought processes. In other words, don't expect them to be friendly when we see them." Izzy stated, where there was a part of him that was concerned about fighting Mimi and the others, thinking the Dark Legion had managed to get into the heroines' heads and brainwash them.

"Hold up. Where's TK?" Tai then asked as he looked around, not seeing the blond, where Cody informed in reply. "I've been trying to reach him, but he won't pick up."

"We'll have to go ahead. If he comes, bring him up to speed and tell him where to meet us." Davis said as he put his helmet on, leading the others to follow the signal of the girls' transponders.

-Meanwhile-

Having his phone on silent, TK didn't know the others were trying to contact him as he knocked lightly on the door to the apartment in front of him, smiling a moment later when it opened, revealing his older brother, who smiled back when he saw him.

"It's good to see you, Matt." TK said with a warm smile, an expression Matt shared as he said in reply. "You too. It feels like ages since we were able to spend some time together."

"It was only last week." TK said with a laugh as he walked in, looking at the mess that was Matt's apartment, where he added. "And it's still the same pigsty I remember."

"Sorry about that." Matt apologized, before saying with a little defensiveness. "My job's been keeping me busy lately."

TK only nodded at this, believing that lie his brother told him three years ago that he was now working as private security, though he never told TK who, claiming it would violate his contract.

And for the next few hours, the two brothers had dinner, chatted, and hung out with one another, neither aware of the other's alter ego as Fang and Seraph.

"Anyways..." Matt then said as the duo sat on the couch, where he then asked. "What about you? Any girl finally catch your attention?"

"Well, not exactly..." TK started to say, before Matt held up his hand.

"Please tell me you're not still hung over on Kari? I love you, little bro, but that girl has tunnel vision when it comes to guys... or 'Guy' in general." Matt said jokingly, while mentally thinking with some seriousness. 'Plus, I don't want you anywhere near her. It's safer for you.'

"I know, I just wish she and Davis would make... whatever they have official and let the rest of us move on." TK replied with a sigh, causing Matt to laugh lightly, but smile nonetheless.

Since their parents' divorce, things had been rough for the brothers, and Matt found himself acting out more because of it, more than often getting into trouble with the law, causing their mother to all but forbid TK from seeing him, believing Matt would be a contaminating influence and didn't want TK to lose any chance at growing up with some good intent.

And despite his attempts to shape up, Matt constantly found himself going down that rabbit hole again and causing trouble, especially when his powers first developed and he took on the masked identity of Fang, which ironically led him to that fated event nearly three years prior.

-Flashback-

"I'll have another!" Matt yelled to the bartender in the small bar he found himself in after another escape from the processing police and heroes, drinking his sorrowed and anger away, especially when he thought of that annoying pest, Dragonheart, who not only seemed to have powers similar to his own, but always seemed to get in his way.

The bartender, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes at the blond, not sure if he should give him another glass, before he saw someone sit next to Matt, where the near drunk blond heard a feminie voice say. "It's alright, his drinks are on me."

As the bartender left, Matt, whose head was down slightly, looked to his left, first taking in the smooth, tanned legs of the girl who offered him a drink, moving his eyes up to see the red skirt she wore that covered her thighs and up, before noticing her smooth stomach and the matching tank top that covered her D-cup breasts.

'Looks like I'm getting lucky tonight.' Matt thought with a smirk as he continued to eye the mysterious woman's figure, before he got to the girl's face, causing his smirk to disappear as he saw it was a face he knew all too well.

"Sora..." Matt said in a deadpanned voice, losing the small excitement he was feeling to see the orange haired girl.

"Hello, Matt." The orange haired girl replied with a smile, watching as Matt returned to his empty glass.

"How's Tai?" Matt then asked with some bitterness, still feeling anger over his former friend for many things, including winning the heart of the girl next to him.

"Tai is doing pretty good. How's life as Fang?" Sora then asked, still keeping her smile as she saw Matt tense up, quickly darting his eyes around the bar.

"Relax. Did you really think I would talk to you if I was going to turn you in?" Sora asked with a smirk.

"What do you want then?" Matt asked with curiosity and concern.

"My... employer has some interest in you, and wants to offer you a job. Interested?" The orange haired girl asked, waiting as Matt finished the next glass he received as he gave it some thought, wondering who would be interested in a thug like him, and how Sora of all people could work for them.

"What are they offering?" Matt then asked.

"I'll take you to them, they want to speak in person." Sora replied, grabbing Matt's hand as she led him out of the bar, almost existing the establishment, before Matt was confused as they went out the side door.

Instead of being outside, however, Matt found himself and Sora standing in a dark lit room, and when he turned to look at where they came in, the door closed and vanished, leaving the blond more confused and worried.

"Welcome, Mr. Ishida." A voice then said behind him, causing Matt to turn, where his eyes widened to see, sitting on a throne, the Night Queen he had heard so much about, the same mysterious villainess who had taken down some of the city's best like they were nothing.

Matt then watched Sora walk over to the Night Queen, resting against the side of her throne as she looked back at Matt with a sly smirk, causing the blond to feel some worry and concern for her, wondering what the villainess had on her to make the girl he had feeling for follow her.

"I've had my eye on you for awhile, Fang. You have great power, but it's wasted on petty crimes. How would you like a chance at the big leagues?" The Night Queen offered as she extended her free hand, causing Matt to see a set of armour, the same set he would wear from that day forward, materialize before him, where the blond could feel the power radiating off of it.

"This will be your chance to make a name for yourself, to take down those who get in your path, including Dragonheart." The masked villainess then added, seeing that Matt was tempted.

But not wanting to give in so easily, Matt looked at the Night Queen with some defiance as he asked. "How can I trust you? Won't just use me and toss me aside?"

Matt's eyes then narrowed as the masked villainess laughed, before, much to his surprise, she reached up and took said mask off, causing his eyes to widen in shock and some fear to see the smiling face of Tai's sister, Kari, looking back at him as she replied. "You can trust me, Matt. And together, we're going to change the world."

-End Flashback-

That day had been a blessing and a curse for Matt, for he finally got the power and recognition he wanted, but now found himself working for someone he was truly afraid of, and if he could, he'll protect TK from what she has planned.

Matt knew there was no hope for him, but even if it cost him his life, he would make sure there was for his brother.

-Meanwhile-

Within a warehouse not far from their last location, Max smiled as he sat on a shipping container he was using as a throne, with Charm Mistress on his right and Songbird on his left as he wrapped his arms around them, while the other girls were around them, fawning over their Master like love struck schoolgirls.

"Is there anything I can get you, Master?" Darkblade asked, losing her normal serious persona and replacing it with the persona of a love struck teenager wanting to please her crush.

Max smirked at her words, though found her too young for now to suit any... 'physical needs' he might have, but still liked having her fawn over him, where he then moved his right hand to lightly cup Charm Mistress' breast through her top, causing the brainwashed blonde to sigh happily at his touch.

'This is perfect. Ten beautiful girls at my command, and super powered girls nonetheless, including a smoking hot idol!' Max thought with a devious smile, which grew as he continued to go deeper in his thoughts. 'With them under my command, I'll finally get the respect I deserve, and if there are those who don't want to give it to me, I'll make them. Heck I'll even make Kari forget all about that loser and fall for me. To her, it'll be like Davis never existed.'

However, Max was then snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed something flashing on Thunderstrike's belt, causing him to look at her and ask. "What's that?"

Looking down at her belt, the brainwashed redhead looked at her Master and happily replied. "It's a locator beacon, which means the other Protectors are nearby."

At Thunderstrike's blissful tone with her warning, Max paled as he thought of V-Force, Dragonheart and the others come down on him and quickly delivering justice, before the more devious side of his mind kicked in as he gained a smirk.

Looking at each of the Protector girls under his control, he then instructed. "All six of you go out and kick their asses. Show them that you serve me now!"

"Anything you say, Master." Zephyr replied, where Lilly added. "We'll make them all pay for disturbing you."

Max then watched with a smirk as the six girls headed out of the warehouse, while Psychonis took Songbird's place in his left arm, smiling happily as her Master caressed her arm, leaving Max smiling as he couldn't wait to see how these events would turn out.

Outside, the heroes arrived just in time to see the girls exit, all six staring them down with neutral looks on their faces, where V-Force and the others noticed the blue hue in their eyes.

"Girls... if you can hear me, we're here to help and..." V-Force started to say, before quickly bringing up his gauntlets to block as both Songbird and Vixen shot at him, their fists glowing with Nene's energy and Vixen's magic as they pushed the hero back.

"Our Master told us to destroy you and we must obey." Songbird said, losing all tone in her voice as she continued to push against V-Force with Vixen, following the commands overriding her mind as she and Vixen pushed their former crush back and began to fight him.

'Master? So it's not the Night Queen controlling them?' Hitech thought for only a millisecond, before quickly moving as an array of powerful vines shot out of the ground towards him and Dragonheart, courtesy of Lilly as she moved her arms like a composer, trying to capture the two and crush them as her Master commanded.

Above them, Fireguard was doing his best to dodge the swings of Zephyr's claw blades, trying to get through to his girlfriend as he yelled. "C'mon, Zephyr, snap out of it! You have to listen to me and fight it!"

"I only listen to my Master." Zephyr said back, lacking the same emotion as Vixen and Songbird, while showing that unlike her boyfriend, she was more willing to fight the one she used to love, gathering the wind energy in her hands and firing a blast of concentrated wind at the fiery hero, who quickly moved out of the way, only to receive a kick in the stomach from the brainwashed blonde.

Down below, Cyberstriker was doing his best to dodge his sister's blade as she swung at him, not wanting to hurt her but not wanting to be injured himself.

"Darkblade, stop! Don't you recognize me?" The tai chi hero asked as he used his hands to catch the blade, trying to hold it back as his sister gave him a blank look.

"You are my Master's enemy, and so I must destroy you." Darkblade responded with the same lack of emotion as the others, before she kicked her brother back and continued her attack.

Nearby, Red Nova was on the defensive as he kept his arms up, trying to block the quick punches and kicks from Tunderstrike as she tried to hit him from every angle.

'She's too quick for me to hit normally. I've got to stop her first.' The second fire hero thought, before quickly using his fire abilities to create a ring of fire around him, hoping to get some distance between himself and the brainwashed redhead, only to be struck in the head as Thunderstrike jumped over the flames, delivered a quick kick to Red Nova's head, and used his body to jump back out, using the ground and her opponent's body to bounce back and forth from the blaze.

'Well... at least she took that training exercise seriously.' Red Nova thought as he was getting thrashed by the same exercise he developed for Thunderstrike.

Back with V-Force, the hero blocked a blow from Vixen's staff, only to receive a kick in the stomach from Songbird, sending him skidding back, before he dodged and swing of Songbird's energy infused fist, only to meet a blast of magic energy from Vixen's hand.

'Well... their teamwork's improved.' Davis thought nonchalantly as he coughed in pain, before he received a powerful kick from both girls, sending him flying back into a shipping container behind him, causing the masked hero to groan in pain as he fell to the ground, his back still against the container as he looked around in pain, seeing Dragonheart and Hitech being engulfed in vines, Red Nova looking as bad as he felt as Thunderstrike continued her attack, Fireguard on the ground nearby as Zephyr had him pinned under her foot, her right hand looking ready to skewer him, and Cyberstriker being pushed against the wall as Darkblade looked ready to finish him.

Meanwhile, V-Force then felt a shadow above him, causing him to look up to see Songbird and Vixen standing over him with blank looks on their faces, their fists glowing with energy as they brought them up, ready to strike at the hero and end him for good.

-Meanwhile-

Back inside the warehouse, Max was enjoying his Legion pets, with Charm Mistress and Psychonis both rubbing his chest, where he was about to have them put on a show for him, before he heard an eerie sound, causing him to look forth and see a dark coloured portal open nearby, before his eyes widened in panic to see the Night Queen of all people emerge from it.

To say the masked villainess was annoyed was an understatement, especially with her plans for Davis ruined, and now finding her missing servants with what appeared to be Max from her lover's soccer team, each of them acting strange, or stranger than usual.

"What did you do to my servants?" The Night Queen asked in a dark tone, scaring Max even more, before the lightbulb in his mind went off again.

"Restrain her!" Max then yelled with confidence and command, causing the four Legion girls to look at their boss with rage as they rushed at her, Dark Hawk drawing her blades, Dark Ivy her thorn blades, and Psychonis and Charm Mistress gathering energy in their hands.

However, before they could get close enough, the Night Queen's eyes merely glowed, where all four stopped moving, grunting as though their bodies were frozen stiff as the arch villainess passed them and approached Max, who started to back up in fear of the dark sorceress, before his mind went into gear again.

If he could control the Night Queen, the most powerful villain in the city, then he would be on top, no one would ever be able to stand in his way, causing him to bring up his arm and change the dials, hoping the devices would take effect as he saw the Night Queen stop.

However, instead of her acting like the other girls did, the Night Queen tilted her head, before she said in a rage filled voice. "You dare try and control me!?"

Her eyes then glowed again, before Max cried out as his gauntlet was covered in dark electricity, causing him to quickly pull it off as it exploded into several pieces on the ground.

-Outside-

V-Force closed his eyes, expecting either the end or at least to feel great pain, but when it didn't come, he opened them, seeing Songbird and Vixen's fists inches from his face, where he looked up to see the blue hue in Songbird's eyes vanish, before her eyes widened in realization and panic as both she and Vixen let out a cry of fear.

"V-Force, are you alright?!" The two asked in panic as they got on their knees to check on their masked leader, remembering everything that happened and felt horrible at what they were about to do to him.

Nearby, Darkblade dropped her sword, her hands shaking as she realized what she was about to do and how she acted, trying to mutter out an apology, before her brother wrapped his arms around her and said softly. "It's alright, I'm glad you're ok."

Like Vixen, Songbird and Darkblade, Lilly also snapped out of her trance-like state as both Hitech and Dragonheart landed on the ground with a loud thud, where Lilly had undone her vine bindings, ran up and wrapped her arms around Hitech's neck, crying as she spoke. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me!"

"I'm fine, too, you know!?" Dragonheart yelled in annoyance, before looking to see Thunderstrike and Zephyr both in the arms of their respective love, both looking downcast, but felt comfort as Red Nova and Fireguard kept a close hold on them, each soothing the girls in their distress.

"Girls, I'm alright but..." V-Force started to say through his pain as he tried to figure out what happened, before they all heard a man scream in fear, causing them to look towards the warehouse as they saw a figure, one the girls recognized as the one who had been controlling them, being chased by none other than the Night Queen herself as she seemed to float in the air, her shadow growing and taking forms as black tendrils grabbed the figure by the legs, dragging him closer into the darkness as he begged for his life.

"Please, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." The man cried out with desperation and fear in his voice, while the Night Queen continued to glare down at him through her mask, smirking as she dragged him into her shadow and asked with a dark glee. "What's wrong? Afraid of the dark?"

Acting quickly, V-Force put all his energy into his body as he shot towards the Night Queen, which caught her attention as she moved back, removing her shadow over the figure as the hero landed before him in a defensive position.

"Sorry, but not even he deserves to suffer that much." V-Force said, understanding the Night Queen's rage, to have one's allies turned against them, but he knew he had to protect the blue haired boy.

He then looked back at the figure, before his eyes widened as he recognized him and thought. 'Max?!'

Max, meanwhile, was trembling with fear, his eyes widen an unblinking as he curled up, mumbling to himself. "So dark... make it stop... make it stop..."

Snarling at seeing V-Force and the other Protectors cut in on her vengeance, the Night Queen would have loved nothing more than to finish them off, but she had other issues to deal with, and so she turned and went back into the warehouse, while V-Force let out a sigh, before coughing from his injuries as he fell to his knees, causing the others to rush towards him, with the girls all looking at Max with a mix of disgust and pitty.

And like V-Force, Fireguard also recognized his soccer teammate and was as shocked as Davis was, not only that Max had plotted such a scheme, but to what the Night Queen had done in the aftermath.

Back inside the warehouse, as their eyes returned to normal, the Legion girls remained stuck in place, before Charm Mistress said with a growl. "That creep groped me! He's so dead!"

"Get in line!" Dark Hawk yelled in reply, where she then said. "He made me act like a lovestruck schoolgirl, that's not my style."

"I don't allow others to control me, I control others." Dark Ivy then said, expressing her own anger. "What do you say we find him and make that worm pay?"

Dark Hawk and Charm Mistress expressed their own agreement, desiring to make the blue haired boy know the consequences for what he had done to them, but when they didn't hear Psychonis, they all turned their eyes to look at her, seeing her look off to the side with a look of fear as she paled.

Looking in her direction, the other girls gulped in fear as they saw the Night Queen approaching them, and though they could not see her face, the aura around her let them know she was pissed, and was now focusing it on them.

"My lady, we..." Dark Hawk started to say in a nervous tone, trying to figure out an excuse to get them out of this.

"Quiet!" The Night Queen merely yelled as she slammed her staff into the ground, opening portals that took all five of them back to their base, deciding to punish them when they returned to their fortress.

-Later-

Back in the Protectors' base, Joe was finishing his examinations on Henry and Izzy as Takuya and Tai sat near them, with Angie, Zoe, Suzie and Mimi looking on with worry as Cody stood by them, before they looked over with the others to see what was going on by the couch.

Sitting on the couch without his shirt on, a series of bandages wrapped around his chest as he tried to relax, Davis couldn't help but sweatdrop as Rika and Nene were constantly around him, offering whatever they could to apologize for the injuries they had caused him.

"Again, we are so sorry." Nene apologized as she took a seat beside Davis and gently rubbed at his chest, making sure not to apply too much pressure.

"If there is anyway we can make up for this, please let us know." Rika added, taking her own approach as she moved behind Davis, trying to make him comfortable as she set her hands on his shoulders and rubbed them softly.

"Girls, it's..." Davis tried to say, having already forgiven them countless times, but neither Rika nor Nene were listening as they tried to offer more for the maroon haired hero.

Looking at the scene, the others couldn't help but sweatdrop, where Tai, not realizing he was thinking out loud, said. "I wonder if he realizes that if he says it right, those two might agree to a threesome."

However, Tai then realized he spoke allowed when he saw the other guys looking at him like he was nuts, while Angie, Zoe, Suzie and Mimi looked at him with rage, causing his eyes to widen as he tried to get out of his predicament. "Wait, I didn't mean..."

"Pervert!" The four girls yelled as they slammed their fists into Tai's face, leaving him twitching on the ground as they let out a huff.

It was then that the group heard the door to the base open, where they saw TK run in with a worried look on his face.

"Guys, I'm so sorry, my phone was off and I..." The blond started to explain, before he looked around, seeing the other guys looking a little beaten, while the girls looked fine, causing him to ask. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later." Davis replied, before he heard Rika and Nene let out a yelp as he turned his head, trying not to laugh as he saw Joe pick both girls up by their shirt collars and pull them away from the couch.

"That's enough from you two. Davis needs his rest." The young medic said in a stern voice that left no room for argument, causing the pair to pout.

"Can't we just be with him as he rests? We promise to be quiet." Nene said, trying to talk her way into spending more time with Davis, but found her words unable to persuade Joe.

After getting Rika and Nene to finally leave on their own accord, with seriousness and concerns, Davis asked. "How's Max?"

From Davis' question, TK's eyes widened as he heard a classmate's name and asked. "Max? As in Max Tanaka?"

"Yeah. That creep used some kind of mind control device to put all us girls under his control, had us attack the others, then apparently bit off more than he could chew by trying to use it on the Night Queen." Zoe replied with a growl, causing TK's eyes to widen further at hearing this, now realizing the state the team was in.

"Yeah he even had..." Angie was about to say, before gulping as she felt pure anger directed at her, turning to see Rika and Nene glaring at her as they yelled. "Never tell anyone!"

"Tell us what?" Tai asked as he got up from the ground, nursing his fresh head wound.

"Nothing!" Rika and Nene yelled in reply, trying not to look at one another as they remembered the small make out session Max had them perform for him.

"Anyways, he's physically fine, but mentally he's comatose, whatever the Night Queen did to him it's left him mentally scarred." Joe commented from the hospital reports he read, causing the Protectors to shiver slightly, not wanting to know what the arch villainess really did to the misguided teen.

"As much as I want to keep an eye on him, I need to get going. Kari's probably waiting for me." Davis then said after a moment, groaning as he got up and began to put his shirt back on.

"Oh no, you need rest. You'll just have to make up something for Kari and see her tomorrow." Joe said, still in doctor mode and not wanting his patient to harm himself even more.

"Joe, that's not a good idea, remember what happened last time?" Tai commented, causing Joe to sigh as he did.

The last time Davis was hospitalized, and to this day they weren't sure if she somehow got past security and not show up on cameras or scale several floors, but that night after visiting hours were over, the nurses found that within the room Davis was recovering in was Kari, who was sound asleep in the chair next to Davis' bed as he slept.

"I'll make sure he gets there ok." TK offered, wanting to make up in some way for not being there for the team.

Nodding in reply, Davis allowed TK to help him into the elevator as they told the others to get some rest, and for the girls to not be too hard on themselves.

Within the elevator, the two boys stood in silence, before, much to TK's nervousness, Davis reached over and hit a switch on the elevator, causing it to stop and for the power to kick off, which also cut out any listening devices.

"So, where were you?" Davis asked, not sounding angry but his tone was of curiosity, and as much as TK didn't want to tell anyone, he didn't want to lie to his best friend.

"I was visiting Matt at his apartment." TK replied.

"Matt's in town?" Davis asked with some surprise, where TK smirked and replied. "For the past three years."

"Wow. And he hasn't caused any trouble, otherwise we would have heard about it by now." Davis said with a smile, where TK found himself smiling back and replied with pride for his brother. "As far as I know, he's gone legit. He's working in private security now."

"That's good to hear, but let's keep that between us for now, otherwise Tai might explode." Davis then said, knowing that just mentioning the older blond's name always seemed to put Tai in a bad mood.

"I was about to say the same thing to you." TK confessed in reply, causing both to laugh, before TK then asked. "You're not worried about him?"

"I believe everyone deserves a second chance, even Matt. I just hope he keeps up the good work, not just for him, but for you as well." Davis replied with a smile as he turned the elevator back on, knowing how much family meant to his friend after all their family had been through, with neither knowing the truth about Matt Ishida.

-Meanwhile-

Within her inner sanctum, Kari let out an annoyed growl as she began to change, using her dark magic to dispel her dark armour, leaving her in a black bra and matching panties, before she slipped on her regular attire, not minding changing in front of Sora, who was leaning against the wall, while Matt was joining the duo and trying not to look at the girl changing clothes.

"Glad that's taken care of, but... who did you not fall under that loser's control?" Matt started to ask, his eye turning for a second to see Kari's backside as she was about to put her shirt on, where he noticed a series of dark purple seals appear and glow on the brunette's back.

"It's a complex seal I made that protects me from mind control and telepaths." Kari explained, knowing Matt was looking at her back, before she asked with a slight sarcasm. "You think I wouldn't protect myself with Charm Mistress strolling around here?"

"Um..." Matt started to say as millions of other questions came to mind, before he asked the first one that popped in. "How did you draw that on your back?"

"I drew it for her." Sora replied as though it was nothing.

"Great..." Matt said back, trying not to get a nosebleed as the mental image of a topless Kari lay on her stomach, while Sora sat by her side, running a paintbrush along her back, just as topless as the brunette.

"Anyway, I'm going to be late now for Davis thanks to that idiot." Kari growled as she thought of Max, wanting to do so much more to the blue haired boy before V-Force had shown up and gone all goodie on her despite knowing that his female comrades had also been affected by Max's brainwashing.

"Yeah, Stryker was a little upset that you destroyed his device, but he'll get over it. Plus I still think he's pissed that his dear Dark Hawk was warming up to someone else." Matt then added, causing him to mentally smirk as he remembered the mad genius of the group looking pissed off.

"Make sure they complete their punishments." Kari then said before heading out, while several floors down, in the outer wings of the base, Jeri, Airu, Yolei and Nanami were groaning as they used the mops and sponges in their hands to clean the floors and walls.

"It's not fair! We weren't in control!" Airu whined, before all four girls let out a screech from the shock collars set around their necks, causing them to turn and glare at Tagiru, who smirked as he sat in a chair nearby with two Dark Warriors around him, holding the remote for the collars in his hand, allowing him control over the girls for the time being.

"The Boss told you to obey and not to talk." Tagiru said, pressing the button down and giving the girls another shock, loving the way they winced and the power he held over them.

"He knows once these collars come off he's dead, right?" Airu asked in a whisper, where Yolei replied. "I already know where we can hide the body."

Though quiet, the fusion based villain heard the girls talking, causing him to give them another shock and sending them into overdrive as they got back to work cleaning, with Airu and Jeri scrubbing the floors, while Yolei and Nanami got to cleaning the walls, while all four continued to feel their hate for Fusionist growing, just hoping for the day he would slip up so they could make him suffer for the Night Queen.


	7. Chapter 7

It was right after school as Tora was slowly making his way to the meeting place the Vigilant used as their secret base, but while the young hero was worried about what their fight against KnightCorps would entail tonight, his thought were more focused on Eri, and wanting to find a way to let the beautiful cheerleader know how he felt about her, even if she didn't return such feelings.

'Maybe I should leave her a gift, like...' Tora started to think, before his eyes turned to see that he was walking by a flower shop he saw each time he took this route, and for once, he decided he had nothing to lose, walking into the shop, where he was greeted by the attendant at the cash register.

"Welcome to Odaiba Flowers." An older, and rather attractive woman with pink hair, brown eyes, and a big smile on her face said as she then added. "My name is Mimi, how might I help you today?"

Shyly, Tora approached the counter, before continuing to express his shy side as he approached the counter and said. "I was hoping to get a nice bouquet of flowers, maybe something with a lot of pink if you have it."

"Oh? For someone special? That's so sweet, I hope the lucky girl appreciates it." Mimi then said in a teasing voice.

Blushing at Mimi's words at first, Tora's mood turned a little downcast as he looked down, feeling a continued gloom filling him as he told Mimi. "Actually... I was hoping to give them to this girl I really like, but because she's a cheerleader, it's hard for me to talk to her without anybody telling me to leave her alone."

Tora then looked back at the woman behind the counter, before fear instantly took him as he saw a fire in her eyes as she let out a growl.

Backing up at seeing the girl in a frenzy, Mimi then yelled, thinking about how many thought of her relationship with Izzy. "I hate that so much! Love should never be restrained by social status!"

'Ok... she's scary...' Tora thought with a nervous laugh, before he saw the older woman leave the counter and head to the backroom, returning a few moments later with his order, where her friendly smile returned like nothing had happened.

"Here you go. That will be 15 ryos." Mimi said with her eyes closed and the smile still on her face, causing Tora's eyes to widen a bit at the price, but not wanting to get on this girl's bad side, he quickly paid and took the flowers in his hands.

"Good luck, and don't let what others say or thing stand in the way of true love!" Mimi called happily as Tora left, leaving the blond gulping a little, mentally reminding himself to avoid seeing this woman again in the future, before he headed towards his destination, knowing that, most often enough, he could catch Eri on the way there.

-Moments later-

Eventually, Tora entered a familiar place, the Kasinoki bookshop, which, apparently unknowing to even the owners, had a secret room hidden beneath the shop, a place the members of the Vigilant used as their meeting point.

But before heading down and returning to his persona as Frequency, Tora had one thing he needed to take care of.

Walking in and looked around the bookshop, a small smile appeared on Tora's face when he saw Eri, sitting at a table in the back as she read a book she seemed invested in, noticing the glasses she was wearing as she read, knowing that while her eyesight was good, she needed a little help when it came to literature.

But as the blond worked up the courage to go see her, another familiar blonde appeared behind him, startling him as she asked. "Good afternoon, Tora. Is there anything we can do for you today?"

Turning around, Tora saw the familiar face of Ai smiling at him, where she was expressing a friendly and curiousness she showed towards everyone, a quality in the girl that many respected.

But with Ai's appearance in the scene, Tora felt that he had lost his nerve, that he couldn't move one step closer to Eri and offer her his gift.

Holding out the flowers to Ai as he bowed his head, Tora asked. "Ai, do you see that girl over there? Can you please give her these?"

"Eri? Sure." Ai replied happily as she took the flowers from Tora, who then said. "And if she asks, just tell her they're from someone who wants her to be happy."

Smiling at the shy blond boy, Ai nodded, before watching Tora walk off to another part of the store, hiding behind one of the shelves, while the blonde girl then looked toward Eri, only to gain a confused expression when she saw the pink haired girl nowhere in sight, causing her to start looking all over for the cheerleader.

-Meanwhile-

Now in his persona and outfit as Frequency, Tora smiled as he got off the hidden elevator to the secret room beneath the bookshop, looking to see that Cosmic Knockout had apparently arrived right before he did, only a few feet from him as he got out, where the pink haired heroine smiled at her teammate as they walked towards a lounge area, seeing Responder and Razor Wolf waiting for them, as well as a blank monitor screen, a sign for the pair that Infiltrator was attending this meeting in his own capacity.

Giving a grin, Frequency asked their leader with a grin. "So what's the situation that needs our attention?"

Speaking from his end Infiltrator then informed. "Whatever KnightCorps is up to, they're accelerating their efforts, and I believe there's a link between what we caught them doing with their captives and those towers Knight is building all over the city."

The four heroes nodded at hearing this, remembering that KnightCorps announced the construction of sixteen so-called 'Communication' towers to help the city, and for some reason, the security at these sights were nearly double what the Vigilant would run into in their raids, which helped validate Infiltrator's theory.

"We need more information if we're to move on. I managed to find the location of an off site link to KnightCorps' mainframe, in a small compound just outside of Odaiba. The location isn't public, so their security might be at a minimum, but be sure to keep your guard up. Once you guys are close to the main computer, Responder can patch me in and I'll see what I can find." The mysterious vigilante informed, where Responder turned and looked at his team.

"This could be our chance to expose Knight and stop him before whatever plans he has can take place. We've seen what they're capable of, what they're willing to do to get their way, and the lives that have to suffer because of it. We can't let them down." Responder said, looking at Razor Wolf, who growled as he remembered what their scientists did to him, while the others also remembered the poor victims they saved from several of KnightCorps' test sites.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and beat the snot out of those slimeballs!" Cosmic Knockout let out, slamming her fist against her palm, wanting to bring about her form of justice for those who had suffered at the hands of KnightCorps.

The heroes all nodded and prepared to head out, not knowing the troubles that would await them that evening.

-Meanwhile-

Within the Dark Fortress, Ken knelt on one knee before the throne the Night Queen used for audiences with her followers, where he looked up at the masked sorceress and said. "Based on what you explained to me, the rest of us will need better protection for what's to come. I don't have that exact knowledge, but I know somewhere that might."

"Very well, chose the strike force. I'll be joining you for this." Kari said in a calm reply, before she stood up from her throne, walking past Ken, allowing him to stand himself and follow the Night Queen out towards the outer ring, ready to commence with their plan for the evening.

-Later-

Returning to the Vigilant, thanks to Infiltrator's skill, the group made their way towards the secret KnightCorps' base, with Responder in the air, while the rest of the team moved by foot, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, or leaping, in the case of Razor Wolf.

Frequency, meanwhile, remained close to Cosmic Knockout, where he gave a grin and asked. "So what do ya say after we trash KnightCorps, we hang out?"

With a smile of her own, Cosmic Knockout asked. "And what did you have in mind?"

"Anything you want. I'm always game for anything, just as long as I can let loose." Frequency replied, continuing to make Cosmic Knockout smile at her teammate's attitude and his kindness.

"Such a charmer. You must be popular with the ladies when not in that outfit." The pink haired heroine said with a small giggles, before being confused as Frequency deflated a little.

"Actually..." Frequency started to say, losing his upbeat mood and telling the heroine with a solemn tone. "When it comes to dating, I can't bring myself to do it. It's not because I can't find the right girl, it's more like the right girl is there, but because of differences between us, I can't even speak to her. I really care about her, but from her outstanding position, she deserves better than a guy like me."

"Don't say that, you're an amazing guy, and if this girl has any brains she'd see that." Cosmic Knockout then said, trying to comfort her teammate and her friend, before sighing as she then added. "But when it comes to romance, I am stuck in a similar situation. See, there's this boy I know, he's very sweet and kind, granted he is a little shy, but I still know he exists. The only problem is that even though I want to talk to him, I'm afraid of what my friends will think if they see me with him. I'd give anything just to tell him that I like him, but I keep allowing peer pressure to get in the way."

Sighing, Cosmic Knockout then said. "I really hate myself for continuing to worry about what others think. I just wish I could punch that part out of my brain so I could act on my heart and not my head."

Remaining in her solemn mood, the pink haired heroine felt Frequency set his hand on her shoulder, where she turned to look at him, seeing him smiling at her, only it was a small, caring and sincere expression.

"It'll be alright, Cosmic. I know that it's hard to express your feelings at times, but sometimes you just have to let go and stop thinking. If you care about this boy as much as I care about my girl, you'll give him some note that you like him." Frequency said, before his smile grew as he added. "I bet wishing him a good day via his smartphone will make him smile."

Smiling back, Cosmic Knockout replied happily. "That's a great idea. Thanks Frequency."

She then gained a frown as she then added. "But... I don't know his number..."

"Perhaps I can ask Infiltrator for a favour?" Frequency offered in reply, remaining by the pink haired heroine's side, wanting to show he supported her love as he said. "He could hack the smartphone listings and find the guy you like. And if that fails, I'll still be here. I mightn't have the tech skills, but I'm confident I can help you find your love."

Smiling back, Cosmic Knockout said in reply. "Thank you. You know, you can be quite the sensitive type when you want to be. I really hope you do find a way to be with this girl you like so much."

As the pair continued their conversation, flying above and listening in, behind his Responder mask, Haru's eye twitched as he heard the pair talk, telling their problems with each other to each other, still unaware of who one another was, causing the green haired hero to use all his willpower not to facepalm.

'When this is all over I need to find a way to get them alone so they can figure this all out.' Responder thought, before focusing as the facility came into view.

Using Infiltrator's information, the Vigilant easily snuck into the facility, before reaching a large room, with a nearly as big computer on one side of the room.

However, something was immediately off for Responder as he looked around, for there was no one really in the facility, and the lights were all off.

However, that quickly changed as the lights suddenly turned on, blinding the young heroes for a moment, before they saw dozens of security guards pointing guns at the from above, while Knight's personal guard and Black Wyvern were standing before them with smirks on their faces.

"It would seem Master Knight was right that you would come here. Now we have you cornered like rats in a cage." Helix said with a dark laugh, causing Razor Wolf to growl in response, wanting another chance to rip the insane doctor to pieces.

"Less talking, more fighting here! I'm not being paid to just stand around and talk!" Black Wyvern then said as he got into action, where the shoulder mounted rockets shot out and opened fire, causing the young heroes to quickly dodge, with Responder rushing at the mercenary, while the rest of the team rushed at their usual 'dance partners', staying in close combat so that the guards above wouldn't open fire.

"Responder, if you can get close enough I can remotely hack the terminal by the link from your helmet." Infiltrator said through the comms in Responder's helmet, causing the hero to nod as he continued to fight Black Wyvern.

Remaining in his vengeful rage, Razor Wolf meanwhile had set his sights on Helix, swinging his metallic claws at the mad doctor, but found Helix avoiding his attacks, bending and swaying around as if he had no spine, while finding that the few slashes he landed on his enemy didn't seem to faze him, guessing Helix would continue to repair himself in his demented way should their fight conclude with his escape.

And returning the attacks, Helix swung his needle like blades back at his former experiment, causing Razor Wolf to dodge and parry his attacks.

Nearby, Frequency was using his sound based abilities to try and hit Jester, casting out a line of thin discs from his gauntlets, leaving Jester laughing as he leaped about, avoiding the attacks, though he was secretly frustrated that he couldn't get any closer to his prey.

"Why do we always have to fight?" Jester then asked as he stopped his avoidance, spread his arms out and asked. "Can't we all just learn to get along?"

However, he then burst into laughter at his words, hunching himself over as he held a hand out, issuing a temporary timeout in their conflict as he told Frequency. "Sorry. Not even I could believe that joke."

Finally, Cosmic Knockout moved in close, trying to hit at Lady Beauty, who dodged her with a laugh, jumping out of the way just as the young heroine's fist slammed into the ground, causing the ground to shatter and created a hole where the villainess was just standing.

"Such a temper on such a beauty." Lady Beauty said with a devious smile, drawing out her weapon and stating. "But there can only be one true beauty, and that's always me!"

Lady Beauty then fired a blast of pink energy at Cosmic Knockout, causing her to jump out of the way, where the other Vigilant moved by her side, the villains standing in front of them, and the guards above seeing an opening as they prepared to open fire.

However, before anyone could deliver another strike, the facility's alarms began to blare, confusing everyone, even the KnightCorps' security as Black Wyvern started to ask. "Wait, why are the alarms going off? If they are right here and...?"

It was then that the wall to the right of the room exploded, causing everyone to react to the flying debris, with Responder moving in front of his team, activating his shield as he blocked a large piece of the wall flew at them, causing it to stop and act as a further shield for the heroes, while the guards were all knocked off the upper railing.

Coughing a bit from the uproar of dust, Knight's guard and Black Wyvern looked at the newly opened gap, while the Vigilant looked around the debris in front of them, before all their eyes widened at the sight, seeing several members of the Dark Legion entering the room, including Ironfist, Stryker, Dark Hawk, Dark Ivy, Charm Mistress and Asta, with most of the villains smirking, some behind their masks, as they looked around, before another figure actually floated in above them, one that caused those watching to look in panic to see none other than the Night Queen herself present.

"Ah, there we go." Stryker said with a smirk as he made his way to the computer terminal, his tech gauntlets activating as he seemed to begin hacking the systems.

"Is this what Knight passes as servants?" The Night Queen then asked meanwhile as she eyed the four members of Knight's main team, with Black Wyvern backing up a little as he thought. 'Crap, I wasn't paid for this!'

While Black Wyvern felt the chill that came with the Night Queen's presence, remaining loyal to his employer, Helix turned to face Stryker, drawing a needle as he threatened. "Remove yourself from that terminal or you will suffer."

But to his annoyance, Stryker paid him no attention and continued to do as he pleased, where the mad doctor was about to strike, only to quickly dodge as Ironfist slammed his cybernetic fist at him, the shockwave enough to send Helix flying back a few feet, where he prepared himself to fight the cyborg villain in hand to hand combat.

Jester was then about to move in and help, only to dodge as Dark Hawk quickly closed the distance, forcing the two assassins to battle one another as they moved about, clashing blades with one another.

"You might have the claws of a hawk, but it looks like you have the brain of a chicken if you want to fight me." Jester said, laughing and mocking Dark Hawk, who swung her blade forth, causing Jester to drop his daggers and back away.

"Just shut up and die, freak!" The Dark Legion villainess yelled as she swung not only her own blades, but her wing blades as well, wanting to cut the clown-like assassin to pieces, growing further in frustration as Jester jumped around, avoiding the attacks in his own comical defensiveness.

While Dark Hawk remained in her fury, finding Jester continuing to treat the fight as more of an event than a life or death situation, Dark Ivy and Charm Mistress took their time before fighting as they stared down Lady Beauty.

"You're Lady Beauty?" Dark Ivy asked, expressing a puzzled look on her face, before stating. "If you're the so-called Lady Beauty, I am highly disappointed."

"Same here. I'm much cuter than you." Charm Mistress added, checking herself out as she said. "Check me out. My outfit is designed for style, cuteness and evil, while you look like a washed up old maid with a silver walking stick."

Lady Beauty started to seethe at these two, before she yelled in anger. "I won't let two hags talk to me that way!"

"Who are you calling a hag?!" Dark Ivy and Charm Mistress then yelled in unison and anger, before Charm Mistress' eyes glowing pink as psionic energy gathered in her hands, while dozens of vines began to grow out of the broken ground around her.

'This might have been interesting to watch under different circumstances.' Black Wyvern then thought as the 'chick fight' began, before he refocused and quickly put up his shield as Asta began firing black energy blasts at him from his guns, seeming to move all over as he attacked the mercenary.

As the battle raged on, the Vigilant remained behind the debris, each and everyone of them shaking, especially Razor Wolf, who was doing all he could to push back another instinct that was overpowering his senses, fear, pure, primal fear, for even being this close to the Night Queen, her presence was causing the young heroes to hallucinate, seeing images of their own demise play out on their minds.

'I can't... I can't move... too scared... so not Groovy...' Frequency thought with fear as the new reports, videos, and other media showing of the Night Queen came to mind, especially images of her taking down some of the best heroes in the city like they were nothing.

'If we stay here, we will die... We... we can't face her, we need to get out of here...' Cosmic Knockout then thought, expressing her own fear as the images of her own demise, and the idea of not seeing Tora again, filled her head.

'Got to run... got to hide...' Razor Wolf thought, his primal fears kicking in, telling him to get out of the vicinity as soon as possible.

'What do we do...? We can't leave, not yet... But if we stay...' Responder thought, trying to think of how the team could get what they needed and leave, but found the thought of his teammates losing their lives at the Night Queen's hands continued to fill him with doubt and fear.

Then, much to the young heroes' horror, the debris behind them dissolved into dust, causing them to turn and look to see the Night Queen now staring at them.

"So, you are the Vigilant I've been hearing so much about. The silent heroes, the champions of those who are lost and forgotten, nothing more than mere children." The arch villainess said, smirking behind her mask as she sensed their fear of her, her eyes glowing red as shadows came out of her back, forming four dark dragon heads, ready to attack and destroy them before they could turn their attention to her and her plans as she then asked. "Are you ready to die like all heroes do?"

"Haru..." Responder then heard Infiltrator speak in his comms, using his real name to get his attention as the hacker then said. "Tilt your head to the right a few inches."

Though he was still afraid, Responder did as Infiltrator's voice said, tilting his head a little, before he saw the HUD in his helmet light up as images appeared around the far off computer screen.

Meanwhile, as he did his own hacking, Stryker noticed that someone else was hacking into the same files he was, but as long as they didn't interfere with him, he'd let them be.

"I'm hacked in. I only need a few minutes." Infiltrator informed the Vigilant, before he added with a concerned but even voice. "I know you are all afraid, but we can't just run, not after coming this close. I will not ask you to try and defeat her, but please, hold her off and survive until I'm done. There is too much at stake for us to fail now!"

It was then that what the Vigilant were fighting for came back to the front of their minds, of those KnightCorps had been experimenting on, only to walk away from their crimes unpunished, of whatever dark plans the corrupt corporation still had planned.

Steeling themselves, the four heroes gained determined looks, with Razor Wolf now growling, while Responder's tech gauntlets glowed bright with energy, ready to fight as Cosmic Knockout and Frequency got into their respective fighting stances, where the sound based hero then said with some seriousness in his voice. "It's time to turn up the frequency!"

Behind her mask, the Night Queen raised her eyebrow as she sensed the changes in the young heroes, finding their fear lessening and their courage rising as she thought. 'At least they'll make things interesting.'

The dark dragon heads then opened fire at the four, where Responder acted, bringing up an energy barrier, groaning at the strength of his opponent's power as it collided with his shield, while the other three jumped from behind, ready to attack the Night Queen.

While the trio went in, planning to combine their hits into one attack, the Night Queen simply avoided the attack, jumping back with a sense of grace, which continued as Cosmic Knockout moved in, throwing punch after punch, some of which struck the floors and the walls around the pair, breaking right through them, though all her attacks missed her intended target.

"Hey!" The Night Queen then heard Frequency call behind her, drawing her attention away from the pink haired heroine and turning around, expecting to see the sound based hero, where a small confusion fell upon her when she saw no sight of him.

"Hey!" She heard him say again, before turning her gaze down, seeing one of Frequncy's speakers lying before her, realizing that it was a trick to get her while her back was turned, before glaring over her shoulder to see Frequency charging up his fist with sonic energy as he prepared to attack.

But even with her back turned, the Night Queen showed her superior power as a dark tendril emerged from a dark void, which then shot at Frequency and slammed into his chest, not only sending him crashing back to the ground, but the force of the attack dealt a great amount of damage to his being.

"Frequency!" Cosmic Knockout yelled in a deep concern as she rushed at him, dodging more tendrils as they shot at her, as well as using her fists to punch a few, causing them to break apart into shadows as she quickly picked her wounded teammate up and moved out of the way of the Night Queen's attacks, just as Responder and Razor Wolf went it and continued fighting.

Drawing out his energy blades, alongside his claws, Responder and Razor Wolf moved in, slashing at the tendrils, before making their way toward the Night Queen, both giving it their all as they tried to take her down or push her back, but found them repelled by her staff, shocking both to her physical strength as she held them back like it was nothing.

Pushing the pair back and continuing to fight, behind her mask, Kari's annoyance turned to interest as she watched the Vigilant try to attack her, seeing the coordination and teamwork they used, as well as their will to go on against an opponent they knew they could not beat.

'I take it back, I won't kill them, I just found four new recruits for my Legion.' The arch villainess thought with a smirk as she imagined using her mark on all of the heroes, using them as weapons against any who stood in her way, before refocusing as she summoned several energy circles above her, which began firing blasts of dark magic at Responder and Razor Wolf, who did their best to dodge the oncoming attack.

Meanwhile, as all the fighting raged around him, Stryker finally found the files he was looking for, having delved into the KnightCorps' Psionic research files, copying what he could, while noticing his fellow hacker doing the same, especially when they both came across what looked like more detailed blueprints for Knight's communication towers.

'This is interesting, I'll have to look into this later.' Stryker thought as he disconnected from the computer, seeing the other hacker doing the same.

"I got the info. Now get out of there!" Infiltrator yelled through the comms, causing the Vigilant to nod as they then tried to make a run for it.

"I have the information, my Lady." Stryker informed the Night Queen, who then slammed her staff into the ground, sending out a shockwave of energy that knocked the Vigilant and KnightCorps' security back, while the rest of the Legion moved back behind their leader.

"Thank you all so kindly but we have to take our leave now. But first..." The Night Queen then said as she then brought her staff back up, where dark energy gathered at the tip, forming a black sphere of energy, which quickly grew and grew, nearly reaching the walls around the Legion, while the sensors in Responder and Black Wyvern's helmets were blaring alarms at the gathered energy.

"Oh, shit... Run!" The merc yelled at his employer's servants, who didn't need to be told twice as they quickly ran for the exit, along with the guards as they cried out in panic.

"We need to run, now!" Responder yelled, taking the injured Frequency from Cosmic Knockout as he put all his energy into his wings and flew out the way they came in, before the heroine let out and 'eep' as Razor Wolf picked her up and began to run after Responder at full speed, the group still hearing not only the crackling energy, but the dark laughter of the Night Queen as they quickly made it out of the building, just as it exploded in a massive burst of dark energy.

Landing on a rooftop nearby, with Razor Wolf joining them as he put Cosmic Knockout down, the Vigilant looked to see the now smoking crater that was once the facility they were just in, letting out a small sigh of relief to see the normal facility workers off to the side and, other than shaken up, all seemed to be alright.

"That was too close." Responder commented, for none of them had expected to run into the Dark Legion that night, and wondered what the villains wanted from KnightCorps in the first place.

"It was an unexpected turn of events, but you all managed to get through it. I got whatever I could, including a piece of information I don't believe Knight intended for anyone to find. It will take me some time to go through it, but I think we have what we are looking for." Infiltrator informed, causing the Vigilant to sigh happily, knowing that their ordeal wasn't for nothing, and hoped that whatever Infiltrator could find in the files could help then stop Knight before it was too late.

-Sometime later, with Frequency-

Having gotten back into his normal outfit, Tora exited the secret passage to the Vigilant base, exhausted and sore from the events, while there was part of him that was hoping that Eri got his gift and that if he could indeed help Cosmic Knockout with her love issues as well.

However, once he turned the corner, Tora quickly blushed and hid back behind a bookshelf as he saw Ai handing the flowers to Eri, where the pink haired girl blushes a little, surprised at the offering.

"I was looking for you for hours, Eri. Someone left these for you, he said he was someone who wanted to make you happy." Ai informed Eri with a smile as she handed the girl the flowers, leaving Eri with a surprised expression, as only one person came to mind, causing her to blush even more, but smile nonetheless.

'Tora...' She thought, resting the flowers close to her chest, not completely sure if they were from him or not, but her heart was telling her that the shy blond was the one, making her think on Frequency's offer of help telling the blond how she felt.

While Eri kept her smile as she looked upon the bouquet, a small smile appeared on Tora's face, finding it always endearing to see Eri smile, before he decided to leave her to her reading and headed out, hoping he could find another way to spend more time with her.

-Meanwhile-

Within Knight's office, the silver haired CEO sat in silence as he watched the television, thankfully allowing the media to portray what happened as an attack by the Dark Legion, allowing him to cover up what the facility was really for, while standing behind him, Helix, Jester, Lady Beauty and Kouki were nervous, knowing the psionic man was not pleased with the most recent of events and the loss of his facility.

"While I am annoyed that we could not remove those pests, it is something that could not be helped, not with that witch and her band of monsters getting in my way." Knight said as he stood up and looked out the window, giving a devious smile as he looked around the area.

To him, the Dark Legion is an example of why he must do what he plans to do, to give the world true order under one guiding will, his will, and bring about an empire that will start with Odaiba, and expand the world, where he will build his new kingdom on the corpses of the Night Queen, her Legion, the Vigilant and any who dared stand in his way.

'Even with the data they stole, none of them can stop me, not in time. Once my project is complete, all will bow to me or fall before me!' Knight thought as his smile grew darker, looking at the spots his towers were being built, knowing that his time was soon approaching, and soon, all of Odaiba would belong to him.


	8. Chapter 8

Opening her eyes slowly with a smile, finding herself naked with only her bed sheet over her form, Rika looked up to see the near naked form of Davis above her, smiling mischievously at her, while she took in his muscular chest, reaching up and running a hand across his muscles and moaning lightly.

"Last night was incredible..." Rika let out with a smile, which was reflected in Davis' expression as he moved down and asked in an enticing and irresistible voice that made her aroused even more. "Then what do you say we go for another round?"

"Bring it on." Rika replied with a continued lust, moaning as she felt Davis' lips against hers', feeling that as he kissed her, he showed his dominance as he not only pushed his tongue into her mouth, but she could feel his right hand press against her breast, rubbing and massaging it.

But as she broke the kiss, staring lustfully at Davis, hoping to move on to more enticing things, Rika then felt a smooth hand on her cheek, turning her head to see an equally naked Nene lying next to her and smiling lustfully.

"Don't forget about me, sexy." Nene then said as she leaned in to kiss her, and Rika made no attempt to stop her, but found herself eagerly kissing the brunette, desiring her as much as she desired Davis.

It was in that moment that Rika woke up with a yelp, her face bright red as she growled at her latest dream about Davis once again including Nene into it, a pattern that had been repeating itself for over a week since Max took control of her and the other girls and had Nene and her make out.

'Damn that perverted jerk, now I can't enjoy my dreams of Davis without Nene showing up and ruining things.' Rika thought with frustration, before finding a tiny part of her confessing. 'But Nene is a good kisser, and she does have a good body...'

Blushing again, Rika then quickly shook her head, suppressing and banishing that thought from her mind, not wanting anything to do with that, before smiling as she quickly went to change, remembering the plans she had not only for today, but for the evening as well, plans that both excited her and caused her some dread, as she would soon meet the biggest obstacle in her quest for Davis' heart face to face for the first time.

-Meanwhile-

Within the throne room of the Dark Legion's Fortress, the majority of the Legion knelt before the Night Queen, who sat on her throne, with Fang on her left and Red Phoenix on her right, raising her hand as the other villains stood back up.

"I have located another ward I need destroyed." The arch villainess said, causing her followers to smirk as they believed they were going to go on another raid.

"However, it will be on display at an art gallery later tonight, hidden as one of the artworks within. It will be too heavily guarded for us to just go in and destroy it, so some... discretion will be required." The Night Queen then said, before looking at Jeri.

"Psychonis, you will go in undercover to find and destroy the ward." Kari then commanded the black haired sorceress, who bowed respectfully and replied. "As you command, my Mistress."

"And you will be taking Shadowknight with you as your backup." Kari then added, causing Jeri's eyes to widen as she looked next to her at the dark armoured figure, who made no comment as she stood back up and asked with concern.

"Mistress, I don't mean to question your will, but is that wise? I can blend in easily, but he sticks out like a sore thumb. All he..." Jeri started to complain as she pointed at Shadowknight, before turning her head as she, as well as the other villains, minus their leader, looked on with wonder and confusion as the dark spirit's armour began to melt off him into shadows, before revealing something they did not expect underneath.

With his armour cast aside, Shadowknight stood, only his appearance was that of a young brown haired man, looking to be around the same age as Jeri, if not a year or two older, where he now stood in a formal suit, showing off his developed build and causing a blush to appear on Jeri's face and hearts in her eyes, before she quickly approached Shadowknight, wrapped her arms around his right, where she lightly traced a finger along his chest and said with continued slyness. "Ok, this will do... This will do ever well."

Shadowknight, for his part, merely looked down at the black haired woman with the same emotionless expression the Legion had come to expect from him, though now Charm Mistress was thinking if she could get the chance, she would definitely add him to her 'collection' later on.

-Much Later-

Arriving at the gallery, Davis smiled to himself as he quickly checked the suit he was wearing, hoping it looked alright for such a formal event, before looking around the area, seeing that amongst the various artworks, paintings, sculptures and the like, he noticed the various guests, some of what people would call, higher up in society, but smiled when he felt a slender hand grip his.

"Relax, Davis. You're fine." Kari said with a smile, one Davis returned, having arranged for him and a few classmates to attend this event after hearing Kari talk about it for a few days, with the added bonus of seeing the girl of his dreams dressed formal herself, finding Kari set in an elegant black dress that showed off her figure and stopped half way down her thighs, revealing the sides of the dress were cut open as to allow her legs to be seen.

Kari meanwhile, mentally smirked, knowing that she could now keep an eye on Psychonis and Shadowknight and make sure no one got in their way.

Plus, this also gave her a chance to see Davis dressed up, and she liked what she saw, imagining herself stripping him out of that suit and seeing what was underneath, already knowing how great his body already was, and wanting more.

However, Kari was broken from her mischievous thoughts, feeling a frustration fill her to have somebody cutting in with her time with just her and Davis as she heard a voice call out with enthusiasm. "Hey guys!"

The pair looked to see Kazu and Kenta approaching them, both also in suits, though neither looked happy, thinking this entire event was a school project and both wanted to get out of their outfits and into more casual clothing sooner than later.

"Come on, let's go in already." Kenta then whined, before Davis shook his head and said in reply. "Not yet. I invited a friend from my work studies to join us. She's been stressed out lately, so I figured meeting some new people, and getting away from the cameras, would be good for her."

Waiting, though not for long, the four teens heard the sound of cameras snapping outside, noticing the flashes and hearing the awe many outside were expressing, before they looked to see a figure come in, one that made Davis smile, Kazu and Kenta gawk, and Kari to keep a neutral look on her face, though a dark envy grew within her at seeing Rika Nonaka.

Smiling as she approached them, Rika looked stunning in her dress, having a dress similar to Kari's, only hers' was pure white, with straps on the shoulders keeping it from falling, while the material around her legs stopped at her thighs.

And as stunning as she looked, what made her stand out was the beautiful golden necklace she wore, where it was set with emeralds, while set upon her right finger was a shining gold ring, set with a fox head upon it.

"Holy crap that's...!" Kazu started to yell, only for Davis' hand to cover his mouth as he looked at the awestruck boy with a sigh, removing it just as Rika approached the group and smiled.

"Good evening, Davis. And thank you for inviting me." Rika said with a smile, before moving over and giving his cheek a small kiss, showing a continued grace in her status, while brimming with joy at the occasion she was allowed to kiss the Motomiya.

"Glad you could come." Davis replied nervously, before adding as he introduced the others. "There are my friends, Kazu Shioda, Kenta Kitagawa, and Kari Kamiya."

"It's nice to meet you all." Rika said with a smile, mentally sighing at seeing the two boys still in their bewildered states, before looking over at Kari and keeping her smile, while mentally, she was glaring at the girl who held Davis' heart, not realizing Kari was glaring back at her in a similar fashion.

'What is a model doing around MY Davis?!' Kari thought darkly, not liking that there was someone as famous as Rika Nonaka hanging around the man of her life, finding it bad enough that Kazu and Kenta were already spoiling the moment she could've been sharing with just her and Davis.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Kenta said in a starstruck voice, before Kazu then added as he asked. "Can I please get your number?"

This quickly promoted both to cry out as Kari slammed her fists into both their heads, causing Davis and Rika to sweatdrop at the display as Kari stood over the two boys who were nursing their head wounds, while the brunette glared down at them, with Davis mentally worried that Kari might be a little angry with him.

Eventually, the small group went about the evening, exploring the gallery and looking at the exhibits, finding plenty of the attention was drawn on Rika, continuing to fuel Kari's jealousy and spite toward the red haired model, before the guys had split from the girls for a moment, leaving them standing side by side as they looked over a painting, while Davis, Kazu and Kenta were looking at a sculpture nearby.

"It must be great to be a model." Kari said with a smile, while inside, her dark emotions toward Rika grew as she thought. 'Just the perfect excuse to prance around in your skimpy outfits and try to lure over MY Davis.'

"Yeah, but it has its downsides, like trying to have a normal life, meet a good man, but every now and then you get lucky, and mr. right comes into your life." Rika replied with a smile as her eyes drifted towards Davis for a moment, which the maroon haired hero failed to notice, while catching Kari's attention.

'You better learn your place, girl, otherwise you will come to regret the day you were born.' Kari thought, continuing to keep her dark jealousy and possessiveness hidden behind her kind and sweet persona. "Yeah, it's nice to be able to have someone who is wonderful, kind, and loyal in your life."

As Kari and Rika continued to talk, seemingly getting along, there was something in Davis' gut that was giving him a bad feeling, leaving him wondering. 'Why do I suddenly have a feeling of dread and impending doom?'

Davis then looked over and sweatdropped as he was sure a dark aura formed around both Kari and Rika as they smiled at one another, where the maroon haired boy mentally sighed and thought. 'Maybe this was a bad idea.'

Meanwhile, on the other side of the gallery, using her senses to try and locate the ward, Psychonis walked around with Shadowknight beside her, wearing a black dress similar to Kari's, with her hair tied in a small ponytail and a pair of shades set over her eyes to help conceal her identity.

But despite her best efforts to focus, the dark sorceress found her attention distracted by her companion, feeling a range of emotions, including shock, awe, wonder and arousal as she took in his appearance, trying to better understand who and what he really was.

"Keep searching for the ward. Our Mistress is watching." Shadowknight then said to her, his voice not dark and ominous as it used to be, which enticed Psychonis even more as she wrapped her arm around his arm and asked."Of course, but what's the harm in trying to blend in?"

Shadowknight paid her almost no mind, though there was a part of himself that was drawn to her, as though a distant memory of her, only she was much sweeter, and had brown hair instead of pitch black.

But as quickly as the thought came did the dark spirit shake it off.

Whatever he was before the Dark Ones claimed him was no more, leaving only the servant Zhaitan sent to aid his champion, where the two continued to walk around, before Psychonis' eyes focused on a white obelisk-like sculpture near the center of the room, feeling the magic that was contained within.

"There, the white artwork at the center." The dark witch whispered to Shadowknight, who nodded, preparing to move in and destroy the target, only for him to turn when he accidently bumped into someone.

"Sorry about that, my bad." Davis said apologetically, while Kari and Rika were behind him, the brunette mentally fuming.

'Idiots! Out of all the people here, why did they have to bump into us?' The dark villainess thought, while Rika had a different thought, sensing something familiar from the dark haired girl before her.

Acting quickly, Rika moved her left fingers slightly as they glowed with blue energy where, surprising everyone, Psychonis' shades cracked, revealing her eyes, and to many present, the real face of the villainess.

At the provocation, Shadowknight let out a growl, before his entire body was covered in shadows as he returned to his armoured form, shocking many as they tried to run screaming at the sight of the Dark Legion member before them, where he pushed Davis aside and began to make his way towards the obelisk, just as the security ran in to attack him.

"Kari, come on!" Davis said with concern for the brunette as he grabbed her hand and took her to a hiding spot just behind a set of turned over tables, where the maroon haired boy mentally groaned, finding conflict within him at the situation he was forced in.

'Damn it, I can't change into V-Force here, not with Kari and so many others around.' Davis thought as he saw dark magic swirl around Psychonis, removing her dress and changing her back into her villainess outfit.

'I want to protect Kari, but I don't want anybody knowing who I am. I just know the Dark Legion will use her against me.' Davis then thought as he looked at Kari, remaining close by her side, wanting to ensure above everything that she was safe.

'Not how I wanted this to go down, but at least they'll get the job done.' Kari thought to herself with some annoyance, but smirked mentally none the less as she saw the pair quickly dispatch the guards, before frowning as she saw a flash of light and a familiar heroine appear before Shadowknight, where Vixen got into a fighting stance, ready to take both Legion villains on.

As soon as she realized it was Psychonis, Rika quickly slipped away in the panic, allowing her the time to access her power and change into her heroine outfit once she was in the clear, and now she stood before Psychonis and Shadowknight.

'What are they after? There isn't...' Vixen started to think, questioning the motives of the Dark Legion, before she sensed the power in the object behind her, where she quickly realized what it was, another Ward against the magic of the Dark Realm, one the Night Queen obviously wanted destroyed.

"**Step aside, and you will only suffer a little.**" Shadowknight said as she brought his sword up, while Psychonis, who moved next to him, expressed a dark smirk as she said with a continued malice. "Why only a little? I can think of so much more we can do to her."

With Shadowknight and Psychonis against her, Vixen knew she was outnumbered, and with Davis unable to change, she would have to fight this battle alone.

Meanwhile, Kari seethed mentally at seeing the mystic of the Protectors here, while gaining a dark smirk as well.

'This is perfect, two birds with one stone.' The brunette thought as she started to raise her hand, ready to unleash a powerful blast of dark energy at Vixen and end another annoyance in her plan, only for her eyes to widen when Davis grabbed her risen hand, looking to see him still looking out at the battle.

"It's alright, Kari, I'm here." Davis said with a caring voice, thinking she was afraid and wanted to keep her safe.

'Davis, I love your chivalry but now is not the time!' Kari mentally yelled, but sighed as she gave a small nod to the maroon haired boy and set herself close by his side, knowing she would have to leave it to her servants to end the heroine's life.

Refusing to back down and allow Shadowknight and Psychonis to carry out their actions, Vixen then brought her staff up, channeling her magics as she prepared to to cast it out as a stream of energy, only to quickly duck as Shadowknight closed the distance between them, swinging his blade and barely missing her head, before the mystic heroine quickly created a magic barrier as several dark spirit lions shot at her, courtesy of Psychonis.

"You are quick." The dark haired girl confessed, before stating. "But you cannot keep protecting yourself forever. Unlike the last time we fought, you're all alone it seems, so no matter how tough you seem, even you can't take us both on alone."

While Psychonis took the moment to belittle and mock her nemesis, Shadowknight then quickly moved in, managing to overpower his way through Vixen's barrier and deliver a swift kick to the heroine's stomach, sending her flying back into the obelisk, which cracked from the impact, causing the redhead to let out a cry of pain as she crumbled to the floor, trying to get up and counter, before her eyes widened to see both Shadowknight and Psychonis rushing at her again, one with his blade ready to pierce through her, the other having covered her arms in dark magic, taking the form of lion claws, ready to cut her down.

'What do I do? I... I can't let them win... I have to protect them... I have to protect Davis...' Vixen thought before, much to her surprise, time seemed to slow down, while behind her, the obelisk began to glow with light blue energy.

"**Do you wish to protect them? A time will soon come when those you care for will need you the most. I can grant you the power you need, if you only ask.**" A strange voice then said, one that was gentle, sincere, despite the power it seemed to possess.

Vixen blinked a few times, trying to process who or what was talking to her.

And yet, she could feel that this being was being honest, not trying to manipulate her or twist her for some dark purpose, reminding her of the tales she read of beings of the Light that stood against Zhaitan and the Dark Realm.

Taking a leap of faith, Vixen nodded and said in a determined reply. "Please, I want to protect Davis, I want to protect those I care for."

With Vixen's words, time then resumed as a blinking light emanated from the obelisk, causing Psychonis to stop and cover her eyes, while Shadowknight did the same, only he was letting out a groan of pain from the light energies, while nearby, both Davis and Kari watched with surprise, one happy, the other not so much, before they watched the obelisk crumble away, with the energy it was holding now moving all over the place.

But instead of dispursting, a large sum of the energy then shot around Vixen, forming a cocoon of energy, which eventually burst open, causing those present to look in surprise when they took in Vixen's form.

Her armoured chestpiece, gloves, and boots had changed from gold to platinum, while on her shoulders were a set of platinum pads that looked like foxes heads, each with long white cloths coming out of their mouths with ancient golden writing inscribed along them.

Her staff had also changed, with the top now looking like a pair of foxes dancing around a blue orb.

A long white cape wrapped around her with a hood, which was tied up with a golden circle with an arcane eye on it, while her face was covered by a full while fox mask that only revealed her eyes, astonishing those who saw Vixen's transformation.

Both Psychonis and Shadowknight looked hesitant, or at least the dark witch looked hesitant, as both of them, as well as Kari and Davis, could feel the increase in the heroine's mystic powers which, while not enough to challenge the Night Queen on her own, but they were still formidable.

Despite this change of events, those present could also feel the Ward's power dying, sensing the barrier between their world and the Dark Realm weaken even further, much to Kari's delight, knowing that no matter the outcome of this fight, she still won.

Acting first, Shadowknight shot at Vixen, only to be held back by a powerful blockade of light energy, before Vixen held her staff in both hands, surprising everyone as she swung it around, encasing it in the same silver light, where he weapon changed into a pair of twin short swords, which she then used, trading blows with Shadowknight, finding that with her speed and sudden mastery over her new weapons, the blade actually cut the side of his arm, causing him to let out an inhuman shirek at the pain as he backed up.

"Oh no you don't!" Psychonis yelled in fury, not wanting to lose to Vixen again, while part of her felt an actual concern for Shadowknight, not wanting to see his great body harmed, as a circle of dark energy formed beneath her, where the energy grew and changed into a massive lion made of dark energy, which she then launched at Vixen.

However, Vixen remained in place as she turned her blades back into the staff, countering the attack as she released a gigantic fox spirit from her staff, which lunged at the dark formed lion, shocking Psychonis as she saw the fox tearing through her dark creation.

"You might've bested me in numbers, but when you believe in the light, nothing can stop you." Vixen declared, putting more of her power into the fox spirit, which destroyed the remains of Psychonis' dark lion, throwing the dark haired girl back, expecting to strike the ground, but found Shadowknight had managed to catch her and was now holding her in his arms, leaving Psychonis wondering if he acted on command or on what feelings he actually held.

Seeing Vixen's new power, but also seeing that they had accomplished their task, Psychonis opened a dark portal behind her, where she and Shadowknight quickly ran through as it closed behind them, causing Vixen to let out a sigh, not sure how much power she had left, before teleporting away, leaving Davis and Kari alone, with Davis silently thanking Rika as he lead the pair outside, seeing Kazu and Kenta waiting for them as Rika came up.

"Are you two ok?" Rika asked, expressing her concerns, before telling Davis and Kari. "I went looking for you when I didn't see you two exit the building."

"We're fine, thank you." Kari replied with a smile, while she thought bitterly. 'How did Vixen know what I was planning? Or... was she here by coincidence?'

Kari and Rika then smiled at one another, before both sensed it.

Though each kept their magic nature hidden well, both felt the small pull of the mystic arts from one another as Kari first thought with. 'She's attuned to magic? Does she even realize it?'

'Maybe I can use it to my advantage one day.' She then thought, believing if she had the opportunity, she could turn Rika into a loyal servant, leading Kari to add. 'And with her at my side, it'll keep her away from Davis.'

'Kari... she has a strong tie to magic, stronger than any I have ever sensed, maybe even on par with the Night Queen.' Rika thought, wondering if the brunette knew the power she possessed as the thought of the good Kari could do with that power if she were trained to use it.

Both girls remained quiet the rest of the time together, both thinking on what the other was capable of, while also reinforcing their newly formed rivalry for Davis' heart, Rika hoping her new strength would impress the boy she liked, while Kari remained undecided on what to do with Rika, but knew that even if she could make a powerful ally, should she step over her limits with Davis, she would meet her demise.

-Later-

At the Protector's base, Davis and Rika recounted the event to the others, while Cody had their software to try and identify Shadowknight's identity from an image of him the security cameras picked up.

"I thought he was a dark spirit, like the shadow demons." Zoe said with some shock as she looked at the face that was apparently behind the armoured villain's helmet, before a loud beep got their attention as Cody looked through the information.

"There's no match, no files on him anywhere. Whoever he is, it's like he never existed up until now." Cody informed, confused as to the lack of anything identifying on their enemy.

"The Dark Realm is said to connect to many other worlds, he might have been brought from one of them." Rika thought aloud.

"Yeah, and someone got to kick his ass." Nene added sarcastically, more annoyed to the fact that Rika got a chance to spend the evening with Davis, even if Kari was also there as well.

'At least she looked amazing in the dress...' The brunette idol then absentmindedly thought, causing her to mentally shake her head, having been having the same kind of dreams Rika had been having since Max enslaved them, finding there was still part of her that remained attracted to Rika despite her efforts to ignore it.

"Regardless to who Shadowknight really is, or Rika's new power, we need to remain focused. Another Ward is gone. Whatever the Night Queen is planning, it will happen soon, unless we find a way to stop her." Davis said with a seriousness and concern, leaving his friends feeling a similar concern to the Night Queen's machinations.

-Meanwhile-

Within her inner sanctum, Kari smiled darkly as she felt the dark energy around her grow, while before her, the dark book glowed with energy, now more than half the seals removed, leaving the arch villainess in thought of the events that had occured.

'Shadowknight and Psychonis might've lost, but I got what I desired. The barrier is even weaker, and even with her new powers, Vixen is no match for me.' She thought with a growing dark smile, before finding the mental image of Davis come to her head, leaving the Night Queen thinking with excitement. 'Soon, my ascension will be complete, the world will crumble and be remade. And Davis will be mine, ruling over the new world, our world, together for eternity.'

Within the Dark Realm, sitting on his throne, Zhaitan smirked wickedly, seeing his long laid out plans slowly coming to fruition.

'**Soon, it will be done, and I will succeed where my brethren have failed before.**' The Dark One thought as his smile grew, while on Earth, A thought came to Kari's mind.

It was time to see how useful her mark could truly be.


	9. Chapter 9

Hidden within its secret mountain range, the monastery used by the Order of the Elements kept its normal calm as the sun set, while many of those training there focused on their task, trying to master the elements assigned to them.

However, one individual, looking over a scroll he was given as he sat in the monastery's library had only one thought on his mind. 'This is boring.'

The boy, fifteen year old Tommy Himi, was the youngest of the ten individuals the Order was training to master the elemental powers, with his being the element of Ice, and, despite his younger status, he was considered one of the most gifted of the group, mastering his element quicker than many before him.

However, the young boy was finding himself wanting to see more of the world, and often found himself wondering how Takuya and Zoe were doing, the two of them he viewed as a second older brother and an older sister respectively, and was amazed by what he heard of their exploits as Fireguard and Zephyr out in the world.

'Man, I wish I could get out of here and see them again.' Tommy thought, before sighing as he looked back at the parchment he was given to look over, wishing that something exciting would happen around the monastery more often.

However, as though his wish was granted, the young man was jolted as the entire complex began to shake, before he heard yelling and screaming coming from outside, which was followed closely by the sounds of combat.

But before he could get up to check and see what was going on, the young brunette quickly ducked as the door to his study came flying open, followed by two figures, who crashed into the wall behind him and crumbled to the floor, groaning in pain.

Quickly looking, Tommy was shocked and terrified to see the broken forms of his friends, the twins Koji and Koichi, both trained in the elements of light and darkness, barely conscious and twitching in pain, before Tommy then heard footsteps coming from the door, causing him to turn and look, where his eyes widened to see the one known as the Night Queen walking in, her masked face looking around, before her eyes landed on him.

Backing in fear, but also trying to stay in control, to protect Koji and Koichi from any further pain as he encased his hands in icy blue auras, Tommy asked with a shaky voice. "You... you're the Night Queen... What... what do you want...?"

Tilting her head for a second, a light chuckle escaped the villainess' lips, scaring Tommy a little more, before his fear escalated as she began to walk towards him and replied. "You... yes, you'll do nicely..."

-The next day-

For Zoe, the school day started as normal as any, though know she tried to keep a smile on her face as her eyebrow twitched, while several of the cheerleaders were trying to convince the blonde to join the team.

"For the last time, I said no." Zoe said, trying to be nice, but found their continued enthusiasm starting to get on her nerves.

"But you'd make such an amazing cheerleader." One of the girls said in reply, before adding. "You're beautiful, you have a great body, it's as if you were built for cheerleading."

"Plus, imagine if Davis or that other guy you hang out with got a chance to check you out in one of our uniforms." Another added with a wink, causing Zoe to blush a little as imagined Takuya and Davis cheering her on as she wore one of the outfits, before quickly shaking her head of those thoughts.

"Zoe!" She then heard a familiar voice call out from behind her, turning and feeling grateful to see Takuya walking up to her, before she noticed the more serious look on his face.

"We need to talk, now." Her boyfriend whispered into her ear, where she heard a bit of shakiness in his tone, telling her it was serious, that whatever Takuya needed to say it was serious.

Nodding to Takuya's words, Zoe gave another smile to the cheerleaders, managing to excuse herself and Takuya from their presence and taking refuge within one of the empty classrooms.

"What's wrong?" Zoe asked once they were out of earshot of others, the worried look on her lover's face made her feel even more worried herself.

"The Monastery was attacked last night." Takuya stated, causing shock to fill Zoe and for her eyes to widen at such information.

"What?! How... who...?!" Zoe started to ask, finding it hard to bring her words together as she never imagined the Monastery would ever suffer such a fate.

"It was the Night Queen herself." Takuya replied with a frown, which caused Zoe to look even more concerned as she asked. "How bad?"

"A few sentries are dead, Koji and Koichi have been placed in intensive care, while the others have a few scraps and bruises." Takuya replied, which caused Zoe to shake a little, before her eyes widened even more when Takuya added. "Zoe... she took Tommy."

"What!?" The blonde all but cried out, now fearing for the safety of the young boy, not knowing what the arch villainess had in store for him, but knew Tommy was now in great danger.

"I'm calling in the others. We need to tell them everything and find and save Tommy. JP and Rachel are on their way to help us find him." Takuya then informed her, referring to their friends who were trained in the elements of Lighting and Water, though Takuya couldn't help but smile a little when he saw Zoe flinch at Rachel's name, knowing how the girl always flirted with him, making any excuses she could to show off her body and express on how good Takuya's looked in her eyes.

"Alright then. Let's make some excuses and get out of here." Zoe said, before adding with a continued concern for their friend. "The more time passes, the more that witch can do to him."

-Meanwhile-

Slowly opening his eyes with a groan, consciousness returned to Tommy, only he noticed a few things were off with his current position.

First, he was in a dark room, with a single light that seemed to be above him, illuminating the ground around him.

And second, and more concerning for the young boy, was that his arms and legs seemed to be shackled by chains, holding him in place.

Acting fast, Tommy focused as he gripped the chains holding his arms, trying to freeze them to the point that they could break, only for his eyes to widen as a dark aura surrounded them, giving off a heat that seemed to negate his elemental abilities.

"Ah you're awake, good." Tommy then heard the Night Queen say, shocking him as he looked forward and saw the villainess walk out of the shadows, before she then added. "Did you really think I would make it easy for you to escape?"

Feeling his fear return to him, Tommy tried to remain calm as he asked. "What... What do you want with me?"

"That part is simple, I plan on having you kill Fireguard and Zephyr for me." The Night Queen replied, causing Tommy's eyes to widen as she continued. "I attacked your monastery to find one of you that seemed close to them, and one that was powerful enough to take them down. And I could sense the bond you share with them and your power, which made you the perfect choice."

From what the Night Queen had told him, Tommy paled in fear as the images of Takuya and Zoe falling at his hand filled his head, causing the young boy to say with a fearful reluctance. "I would never betray them... they're my friends."

"I never said you had a choice in the matter." The villainess then said in reply, before reaching up with her left hand and placing it on Tommy's forehead, where he then let out a cry of pain as he felt something enter him, something dark and powerful, overwhelming his mind, before the Night Queen released her grip, causing Tommy to stare ahead with a blank look on his face, his eyes glazed over, and a dark purple mark glowing on his forehead, shaped like an eye, causing the Night Queen to smile darkly behind her mask.

-A short time later-

Responding to the emergency summon, Davis, Tai, TK, Mikey, Angie, Rika, Nene, Izzy, Mimi, Henry and Suzie quickly exited the elevator to the Protectors' base, looking to see Cody already on the monitoring station, Joe nearby, and both Takuya and Zoe not only having serious looks on their faces, but already in their Fireguard and Zephyr outfits.

"What's going on guys?" Davis asked, noticing the worried and concerned looks on the elemental warriors' faces, where Tai then added. "Yeah, what gives? We were supposed to take today off."

"Last night the Night Queen attacked our Order, killing a few, injuring others, and taking a friend of ours." Takuya informed, shocking the other Protectors, where he added. "Two of our other friends should be arriving soon, and we've asked StarCorps to join in as well. We need to find him and save him from whatever the Night Queen has planned for him."

"First off, slow down, I understand your concerns, but we can't just rush out on a wild goose chase with no leads." Davis said in reply, trying to calm his fellow Protectors down, understanding the fear going through them, before he added. "We still don't even know where the Night Queen or the Dark Legion are hiding out."

"Tommy has an elemental amulet like ours, we can sense it when we're near each other." Zoe said in reply, before narrowing her eyes as she then added. "And our allies have arrived."

After a few beeping sounds from the elevator, notifying the group that those inside knew the passcode to enter the base, the elevator door opened to reveal two teenage individuals.

The first was a young male around the same age as Takuya and Zoe that was set in a dark blue jumpsuit, he had short and spiked brown hair, who was a little overweight compared to the other people within the room, while beside the brunette was a female figure that had red eyes and long, turquoise hair that went down her upper back, while she was wearing little to nothing, with her chest barely covered by a light blue tank top, purposely showing off her cleavage and her C-cup sized breasts, while a pair of matching shorts just covered her thighs, leaving the rest of her long and slender legs on display.

But what the other Protectors noticed the most was the amulets similar to Takuya and Zoe's resting around their necks, with the boy's shaped like a lightning bolt, while the girl's was shaped like a wave.

However, before anybody could say or do anything, hearts filled the girl's eyes as she stared at Takuya, admiring him in his hero persona, before rushing over to him, pressing her body close to his as she asked. "So how have you been, sweetie?"

"You look so handsome in your elemental armour." The girl went on, tracing her fingers along Takuya's body, causing him to gulp a little, before leaning closer to him and asking. "So what do ya say we spend some time alone to catch up, just you and me, all alone and without any interruptions?"

"Rachel...!" Zoe seethed, fire burning in her eyes as she glared at the blue haired girl clearly flirting with her boyfriend, while most of the group sweatdropped at the sight.

"Come on Rachel, this isn't a social visit." The boy then said as he walked up and pulled the girl away from Takuya, before looking at the two and saying with a smile as he shook Takuya's hand. "It's good to see you again, Takuya. You too, Zoe."

"Likewise, JP." Takuya replied as he returned the handshake, before Zoe had to ask as she expressed a continued concern. "How are the others?"

"Koji and Koichi were in bad shape, but they're pulling through, you know how stubborn they can be? As for the rest, they are bruised up, but they'll be alright." JP replied with a comforting smile, causing Takuya to nod, before he faced the rest of the Protectors and began to introduce their friends.

"This is JP, whose element is thunder, and this is..." Takuya began to say as he introduced the two, before Rachel cut in and introduced herself as she said with a smile and a small pose. "I am Rachel, the elemental master of water. Whether it's the ocean or just a glass, water is at my command."

"It's nice to meet you..." Davis started to say, before sweat dropping once he saw Rachel close the distance between them, giving him the same starry eyed look she gave Takuya.

"Nicer to meet you, cutie." Rachel purred, not caring for the glares Rika and Nene were giving her, where the blue haired girl moved in closer, continuing to flirt with Davis as she added. "Takuya and Zoe told me about you, but they never said how handsome you are face to face."

'Oh I am so glad Kari isn't here to see this.' Tai and TK thought at the same time, having heard how... 'interesting' Kari and Rika's introduction went, and cringed of what would happen if she either met Nene as well, or ever learnt of the way Rachel acted toward Davis, certain the outcome would be nightmarish.

"Rachel, knock it off! We need to find Tommy." Zoe yelled, part of her now wanting to slap the girl for going for Davis as well, but kept her cool, especially seeing the blue haired girl's expression turn serious at the mention of Tommy's name, remembering why they were there in the first place.

"Alright, since you guys say that you can sense one another, and your friend apparently has an amulet like you guys, we'll split into teams with the StarCorps and search the city." Davis then said, getting nod from the others, not only wanting to save the young boy, but also possibly finding the Dark Legion's base at long last.

-Later-

The teams had split into multiple groups, with Rachel leading the search by the ocean, while JP helped those on the outskirts of the city.

Meanwhile, Fireguard lead Cobalt Warrior, Quickshot and HiTech as they scout one area of the city, while Zephyr leads V-Force, Vixen and Dragonheart searching the other side.

'Tommy... please be ok.' Fireguard thought with growing concern, hoping the young boy he saw as a second little brother was alright, feelings he knew Zoe shared.

"Um, guys... what element does your friend use again?" Cody then asked through their comms, causing Fireguard and Zephyr's groups to stop, to which the blonde haired heroine replied. "Ice. Why do you ask?"

"Ok. Half the city's park is apparently freezing over." The young boy said in reply, shocking the groups as they headed towards the park, with the two elemental heroes quickly sensing Tommy's presence, only it felt... off.

As the heroes and heroines arrived, the groups quickly saw people running for their lives from the park as the trees and grass seemed to freeze over, while powerful gusts of wind seemed to push the freezing effect even further.

Acting quickly, Vixen threw a protective barrier around herself and her fellow heroes, before they headed towards the center of the ice, which apparently was the lake at the center of the park, now frozen over completely, before Fireguard and Zephyr's eyes widened in shock to see Tommy standing in the center, with his head cast down.

"Tommy!" Zephyr called, wanting a reply from the wielder of ice, but found him remaining silent, before he slowly lifted his head, showing not only his glazed over eyes, but the mark glowing on his forehead, one that caused Vixen's eyes to widen in concern, as did the dark smirk that grew on the boy's face.

"Watch out, he..." Vixen started to warn, before the boy flicked his right hand up, where, quicker than any could see, all but Fireguard and Zephyr were encased up to their necks in ice, causing them to cry out from the sudden cold chill, as well as being imprisoned within the icy confines.

Even Dragonheart and V-Force were unable to use their powers, finding the ice not only restricted their movements, but it was preventing them from accessing their unique attributes.

"We need to get out of this soon, our body temperatures are dropping!" HiTech informed the others as his internal sensors showed the slow but steady drop in their body temperatures.

"Tommy, stop! They're here to help!" Fireguard yelled, but grew more unerved as the boy then let out a dark chuckle, causing Zephyr to ask with concern. "What's wrong with him?!"

"The... The Mark of Shadows..." Vixen said through chattering teeth, causing the pair of elemental warriors to look at her as she continued. "It's... It's powerful dark magic... binds the victim to the user's will... changes them to... to whatever the caster desires... it's powerful... And the longer it's on the victim... the harder it is to remove..."

Instantly, the heroes and heroines, even those trapped, remembered the events from a year ago when the city council was under the sway of the Night Queen, and realized this must have been what she used to control them back then.

The group then heard a familiar dark laugh, looking behind Tommy, where they saw a shadowy representation of the Night Queen appear behind the boy, placing her left hand on his shoulder as her eyes glowed bright red through her shadow form.

"I expected you to be this knowledgeable, Vixen, but it does little to help in the end. Yes, he is mine now, and I've given him a special task." The projection of the Night Queen said as she looked down at Tommy, whose dark smirk grew into a wicked smile as he looked at Fireguard and Zephyr.

"She wants me to get rid of you both once and for all. This is going to be awesome!" Tommy said with a dark excitement, shocking and frightening his former friends to see the change in him, while also feeling anger and rage at the villainess for what she had done to their friend.

"Let him go you bitch!" Zephyr yelled in anger at the shadow of the Night Queen, who merely laughed wickedly in reply, before her shadowy hand then lifted from Tommy's shoulder and gently caressed his cheek as she commanded. "Now, kill them, painfully."

"Yes, my Mistress." Tommy replied with a dark smile as his amulet glowed, changing his form as his elemental armour covered him, putting Fireguard and Zephyr on alert as they took in Tommy's new form.

Fireguard and Zephyr were shocked to see the changes within their friend's outfit, seeing him clad in a dark green hooded outfit that had two stubs coming out from the top, looking almost like a pair of bear-like ears, with a cape coming down his back, split in two, which stopped at the end of his waist, revealing a black belt that bore the elemental symbol of ice, only it had a faint aura of darkness around it, a symbol of Tommy's corruption.

Black pants and dark green boots covered his legs and feet respectively, while his arms were set in a pair of matching green gloves that he then brought up, casting out his ice as he prepared to destroy those he now came to despise, his mouth and nose covered by a face mask that looked like a rebreather, which had a set of orange markings crafted on the sides, showing only his darkened eyes as he glared at the two he once called friends.

And with his transformation complete, Tommy wasted no time, sensing the reluctance to fight him, which he used as his advantage and releasing the ice from his hands as a series of icy daggers shot towards the heroes.

But acting fast and bringing himself together, Fireguard quickly moved before Zephyr as he encased his being in flame, not only protecting the blonde from the sudden onslaught of ice, but the intense heat he produced caused the ice to melt before it could strike him, saving both heroes.

However, Fireguard's eyes then widened as he saw Tommy quickly close the distance between them, leaping into the air as two axes of ice began to form in his hands, ready to bring them down on the fire hero's head.

But returning the selflessness of her boyfriend and countering Tommy's attack, Zephyr acted as she quickly jumped over Fireguard, bringing her right leg around, where she planned to deliver a kick to the corrupted boy's stomach, only to find Tommy dodge her attack midair, moving his body so that Zephyr's foot barely missed him, before he landed on the ground and slammed his hands into the ground, causing several large spikes of ice to break out from the vicinity and shoot towards the heroes, who took to the air to avoid the attack.

With Fireguard and Zephyr forced to the air, their access to fighting greatly limited, Tommy laughed darkly, before he looked at his hands and said. "So much power... more than those old geezers at the monastery could ever teach me... more power than either of you! I'm done living in your shadows! Being seen as a weak child! I'll kill you both and show everyone I'm the best!"

Tommy..." Fireguard said with worry, wondering if this was Tommy's true feelings or if the mark was messing with his head like Vixen said it would, for he never viewed the young boy this way and only thought of what was best for him.

But before he could respond to Tommy's rant, both Fireguard and Zephyr watched with shock as ice quickly formed on the corrupted ice user's back, taking the form of wings, while his arms became covered in ice that took the shape of sharp blades, where he then launched himself into the air, ready to strike at the wind heroine and pierce her stomach, before Fireguard moved to defend his girlfriend, using extending his arm blades and blocking the blow as he tried to hold Tommy back.

"Predictable!" Tommy said with a dark glee, pushing back and doing a flip, where Fireguard had enough sense to look down, seeing the corrupted ice user's right foot coming up as ice quickly formed around it, taking a sharp point, where the fire hero quickly moved back, carely missing the ice blade as it passed his body.

Getting frustrated, and wanting to put an end to this quickly, not only for Tommy's sake, but for those imprisoned below, Fireguard then went on the offensive, flying back as he unleashed a barrage of fireballs from his hands, where Tommy brought his hands up to form a shield of ice before him, taking all the blasts as his protection melted, before the fire hero's eyes widened as several tendrils of ice, each with an arrowhead-like tip, shot out of the corrupt ice user's back and headed for him, only for Zephyr to act and use her claws to statter the tendrils before they could reach them.

"Stop standing there and fight me!" Tommy yelled, feeling like they were either afraid or mocking him, and he wanted the first one to be the truth.

As he remained ready to attack, Tommy stopped when he felt a familiar presence, causing him to look up, bring his arms up and form another ice shield as a huge blast of lightning came crashing down on the shield, pushing Tommy back to the ground, before the ice below him began to crack, where the water beneath it began to surge out, about to envelope the ice user, who quickly used his powers to freeze the water, leaving him almost surrounded by walls of ice.

"Geez, Tommy, chill out will ya." A familiar voice then said, causing him to glare as he saw two familiar figures land around him with Fireguard and Zephyr, while also looking to see the other Protectors and StarCorps heroes had arrived, with Red Nova using his fiery abilities to help their imprisoned friends out of their predicament.

Looking around them, Tommy, Fireguard and Zephyr saw JP and Rachel had come in to help their fellow elemental warriors in their crisis, but were surprised to see the pair had changed into their armours in the process, finding JP encased within a large dark blue suit of armour that covered his entire being.

As his hands, chest piece, kneecaps and the rims of his shoulderplates were cast in a golden colour, protruding from the top of the helmet he wore was a massive spike, similar in design to a stag beetle's, and matching with the same strength.

Likewise, his back piece opened up, revealing a pair of electric styled wings that he could use for flight.

While Rachel had changed her outfit, hers' was more revealing to say the least, with the blue haired girl now clad in a black spandex suit that clung tightly to her body, showing off her figure, while light blue armour was set above the skimpy material and covered her chest, arms and legs.

On her gloves and boots fish-like fins popped out of the side, while she had a blue helmet that had three fins sticking out of the top that covered her eyes, leaving her expressing a confident smile on her face, while out of her back were two large fins resembling blue wings.

And to complete her new form, in her right hand was a golden trident.

Narrowing his eyes, Tommy looked to JP, where he then yelled. "Don't tell me what to do, fatass!"

Both JP and Rachel were taken aback by Tommy's hostility, but having heard from Cody what Vixen said about the mark on his forehead, they knew it wasn't the real Tommy talking to them.

"Interesting. I thought I took care of the rest of you." The Night Queen mused as she looked at the two new arrivals, who gave the shadow projection of the dark villainess a glare, before focusing on Tommy, knowing, along with Fireguard and Zephyr, that if they were going to help their friend, they would need to take him down first.

"Fine. You all want to get in my way? I'll take you all down, and prove to my Mistress that I'm worthy of being her servant!" Tommy yelled in rage as the ice began to form around him, causing the elemental warriors to back up as the ice took shape, creating a construct form around Tommy's being, resembling a large, hulking two legged beast with ram horns, a dozen of the ice tendrils, and two large axes in its hands as it let out a beastial roar that deafened most nearby.

"I'm sorry, Tommy... I'm sorry we couldn't get to you sooner, but we will save you, even if we have to save you from yourself!" Fireguard declared as his body was covered in flames, taking a fighting stance alongside Zephyr, Rachel and JP, who's body crackled with electric energy, each one determined to stop their corrupted friend and save him from the dark sorceress' clutches.

Acting first, Tommy sent out his ice tendrils to try and strike at his former friends, who quickly moved out of the way, determined to keep Tommy from causing anymore harm to those around him as the four elemental warriors acted in unison.

Concentrating, Zephyr quickly gathered her elemental power and began to focus them around the ice construct, causing a tornado to start to form around it as Tommy thrashed about, trying to get free, before he felt himself getting lifted off the ground, which caused the corrupted ice user to cry out in anger and rage.

"Now's our chance!" Fireguard declared, before casting out a stream of fire from his hands, the inferno striking the ice construct, causing it to slowly melt away.

"Rachel, you know what to do!" Fireguard then called, causing the blue haired girl to nod and give a serious expression as she joined in the fight, where she used her power over the melting remains of the ice construct and began to encase Tommy in a sphere of water.

Able to hold his breath, Tommy looked around, trying to figure out what his foes were planning as he prepared to freeze the water around him, before his eyes widened as he looked up, seeing JP in the air, his fist crackling with electricity.

"Sorry to do this to you, pal, but this is for your own good!" JP yelled, slamming his electrified fist into the water sphere, causing it to spark wildly and for Tommy to cry out in great pain as the conductive waters continued to electrocute him.

And though she knew that Tommy wouldn't be put in mortal danger, that this was for his own good, Zephyr couldn't look as she turned and set herself on Fireguard's chest, feeling a dreading knot in her stomach for Tommy's suffering.

Eventually, Tommy's cries fell silent as he passed out, with Rachel releasing him from the water prison, where he collapsed on the ice covered ground unconscious, his armour glowing and dispersing, leaving him back in his original form as he remained lying in defeat.

"Pitty. But he might still have his uses." The Night Queen said to herself, before raising her right shadowy hand as a dark portal began to form beneath Tommy's body so that she could take him back to her base and train him for future battles.

However, a bright light then appeared around Tommy, dispelling the portal before it could form, causing the Night Queen to look and narrow her eyes as she saw Vixen holding her staff out as it glowed with a powerful light, showing that she was trying to prevent her from taking the ice user with her.

"Fine, take him. It doesn't matter in the end. He's mine now." The Night Queen said with a dark laugh as her shadow vanished, leaving the gathered heroes in various states of anger and worry, especially for Tommy's state of mind, wondering what was to happen to the boy, while wondering if his outbursts were his own thoughts or the influence of the Night Queen.

-Hours later-

Takuya, Zoe, JP, Rachel, Davis and TK all waited in a room that was part of an ancient complex that existed between worlds, a meeting place for many of the world's most powerful magic users, all dedicated to battling the forces of darkness and stopping otherworldly threats to the world.

A moment later, Rika opened the door to their room, where Takuya started to ask. "How is...?"

"I'll kill you all!" The rage filled scream of Tommy then cut Takuya off, before Rika closed the door behind her and replied. "It's going to take some time. The Mark of Shadows is powerful, and the Night Queen still influences his mind. They can remove it, but you need to give them some time."

Clenching his fist in anger, feeling a growing hate toward the Night Queen, as well as blaming himself for putting Tommy in such harm, Takuya was brought out of his anger when he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking to see JP and Rachel smiling at him.

"We'll stay here until they get that mark off of him. You and Zoe need to head back with the Protectors and stop that witch before she causes anymore harm." The Lightning Warrior said with a smile.

"But if you ever want to come and visit, just ask." Rachel added as she returned to her old antics, where she wrapped her arms around Takuya from behind and looked at him with a suggestive smile, which made Zoe growl at the sight, causing Davis and TK to sweatdrop.

Both then, however, gained frowns as dread filled them, fearing the power the Night Queen possessed and fearing what could happen if she were to use this Mark of Shadows on their friends and loved ones.

-Meanwhile-

Sitting on her throne, Kari smirked as she felt the mystics try to remove her Mark from Tommy, still feeling how powerful her dark hold was.

Even though it wouldn't on Tommy for much longer, as long as the Mark she placed on Sora remained, she could continue to use the orange haired girl in her plans.

'That should make them fear me more, but...' Kari thought as her smirk grew, where she then thought. 'Perhaps a more, direct message would work better, like on one of V-Force's precious teammates. Maybe then I can finally rid myself of that thorn in my side.'

Author's Note: To all my readers, sorry for the delay on this chapter, things have been rather hectic for the past week, not just for myself, but for my co-writer as well as life changes have occurred due to the Corona Virus. This story, as well as our others, are not dead, just may take longer for the chapters to come out. I ask for only patience and wish for good health and safety to all during this time.


	10. Chapter 10

With school out, and no calls from Responder regarding their next mission, Tora began to walk home, passing through the streets as he let his mind drift back to the one person who occupied it enough when it didn't come to his hero work, Eri Karan.

'What do I do? Should I ask Cosmic Knockout for help? Advice? Maybe ask Infiltrator for help? Nah, he'd call it a waste of time, or maybe...' The young blond started to think, before a loud beeping sound was heard from his pocket, letting him know that Responder was contacting him through the communicators the group had, causing him to quickly duck into a nearby alley, out of sight, where he took the communicator out and opened it to reply.

"Frequency, Cosmic Knockout, good. I got you both we..." Responder started to say, before Tora found it odd that he heard the Vigilant leader's voice echoing through the alley, where the tech hero then asked. "Why do I hear an echo guys?"

Confused himself, Tora turned to his right to see a corner to another side of the alleyway, causing him to look around, only for his face to come face to face with Eri's, who not only held the same look of surprise as he did, but a similar communicator to his own rested in her hand, where both then heard Responder question. "Guys, you there?"

'Eri?! But... why is she...?!' Tora started to ask himself, before the gears began moving as he realized, if Eri's pink hair was in twintails, and her eyes were covered by a familiar visor, she'd look exactly like...

'Tora?!' Eri thought in shock as her mind went into full gear as well, taking in Tora's appearance as she imagined his hair a little bit messier, his eyes covered by a visor, while replacing Tora's sweet smile with a more familiar smirk, it made her realize the truth before her.

It was then that both Vigilant heroes realized that their teammates and the ones they each felt drawn to were one and the same.

Both teens were shocked and unsure what to do, while Responder's voice continued to play through the communicators, expressing a continued confusion to the status of his teammates, causing Tora to snap out of his stupor first, where he responded into his communicator. "Sorry, just some background noise. What's up?"

"We need to meet at the base. Infiltrator found some odd things regarding those towers that KnightCorps' building." The Vigilant Leader replied, where Eri quickly replied into her own comm. "We'll be there as soon as possible."

The pair then closed their communicators before looking at one another, both now feeling an awkwardness, realizing that they had both easily shared how they felt about one another without even realizing it, and were not sure how to interact with one another anymore, leaving the pair in silence as they left the alley and began to make their way towards the bookshop, to regroup with Responder and Razor Wolf.

But the whole walk there, both continued to remain in their silence, occasionally turning to look at the other, before shying away, still unsure how to process this information or what to do next.

-A little bit later-

Within their secret base, Responder and Razor Wolf noticed the unusual tension between Frequency and Cosmic Knockout, as the two, who usually chatted and almost flirted with one another, were now keeping their distances from each other.

Sensing something was off, as their leader, but more as a friend, Responder asked. "Is everything ok between you guys?"

"Yep, everything is fine!" Both replied in unison with nervous tones, their eyes darting to one another through their visors, before looking the other direction, causing Haru to sweatdrop behind his helmet, but shrugged it off as Infiltrator came online.

"There is something up with those towers Knight is building. Unfortunately the files we got on them are incomplete, as though parts of their information were excluded from the original plans. I need to access one of the uncompleted towers, but they are heavily guarded, more than any of the previous facilities. You'll have a fight on your hands." Infiltrator explained, where Responder nodded in acknowledgement.

"We'll get what you need. If these towers are a part of Knight's plans, we need to figure out what they are and fast." The green haired hero replied, getting a determined nod from Razor Wolf, while both Frequency and Cosmic Knockout nodded in silence, concerning Responder even more as neither offered a sly or enthusiastic remark to the objective thrown their way.

'I just hope whatever is going on doesn't affect their teamwork.' The tech hero thought with a sigh as the team headed out for their mission.

-Later-

The journey to their target was quieter than usual, where the Vigilant were now standing on a rooftop near one of the construction sites, seeing that the workers had left for the night, but a small army of security guards were left posted all over the site, while four, large silver cylinders had been placed around the base of the tower, leaving the Vigilant further concerned as to what KnightCorps was planning.

"How do you want to play this, Responder?" Razor Wolf then asked, slightly shocked over the size of the security present at the tower, which was more than even the facility he was kept in and experimented on.

Thinking for a moment, Responder looked at his team where he stated. "We need a diversion. Razor Wolf, think you can stir up some trouble and get them to chase you? I know you can outrun them."

"You can count on me." Razor Wolf replied with a nod, before the Vigilant leader turned to Frequency and Cosmic Knockout, continuing in his commands as he said. "We'll take out the rest of the guard then and I can access one of the towers terminals without any trouble then."

"Sure." Frequency said, still lacking his usual enthusiasm.

"Sounds good." Cosmic Knockout agreed, expressing a similar lack of emotion in her tone, which continued to worry the tech hero.

While Responder wanted to talk to his teammates, to ask what had caused a sudden shift in their behaviours, Frequency and Cosmic Knockout merely headed off, jumping from off the roof they had been hiding upon and landing in the construction site, immediately picking up the attention of the security forces.

"Damn it!" Razor Wolf growled, before jumping down himself, quickly knocking a few guards out as he tried to get the attention of the rest of the guards.

'Stupid! Stupid! Why did this have to happen?' Cosmic Knockout thought as she slammed her fist into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked several guards down, using her mixed feelings as an excuse to fight, hating that she now knew that Tora and Frequency were the same person, but hated that she didn't know what to do, how to properly feel or act to such a situation, feelings of which Frequency shared as he combatted his own enemies.

Gathering sonic energy around his arms, Frequency pummeled any guards that tried to attack him, surprising and confusing Responder and Razor Wolf at his change in fighting style, while within, the blond felt his own anger, confusion and self doubts consume him.

'I told Cosmic that she deserves the best and I am nowhere in her league. If I can't even speak to her at a bookshop, what chance do I have with her as Eri?' Frequency questioned, continuing to blame himself, thinking all the tension and distance between him and the pink haired heroine was his fault.

'Now Eri will never want to speak to me ever again!' He thought as he delivered a powerful right hook to the face of one of the security guards, knocking him down and out cold, astonishing the other heroes at the sight.

Through his comm systems, Razor Wolf questioned. "What's going on between them? Frequency is fighting like Cosmic, and Cosmic looks as though she's almost ready to give up."

"I have no idea, but we need to act fast or things will only get worse." Responder replied as he quickly flew up towards the tower, where he allowed Infiltrator to access the tower remotely as the hacker began downloading the tower's data.

From the main construction building nearby, one of the scientists that was assigned to the site saw Responder by the tower, and in a panic, started to type on one of the computer terminals in front of him.

"What are you doing?!" One of the other scientists cried out in fear, knowing all too well what his colleague was doing, where the one at the terminal looked at him and yelled. "Would you rather tell Knight we failed?"

It was then that alarms began to blare across the construction site as red lights began flashing at the base of the four cylinders, causing the security guards to cry out in fear as they began to make a run for it, confusing the Vigilant by the sudden change in their foes' behaviours.

The four then heard a hissing sound coming from the cylinders, causing them to look at the containers as they slowly slid open, revealing a sight that caused all four heroes to cringe in fear, watching with shock, horror and disgust to what emerged.

From all four cylinders slid out four creatures they guessed were victims of Helix's more intense experiments.

They were warped beings that were at least twelve feet tall, each had long arms, with one claw-like and displaying an array of dagger-like fingers, the other having a plasma weapon built into it and fused around the skin of the creatures' arms.

Six tentacles came out of the creatures' backs, while all had helmets that had two horns coming out on top with one eye yellow and the other purple.

And with their freedom, all four let out inhuman cries, each expressing a mix of anger, agony and fury, causing the Vigilant to back up a little as they saw the creatures start to look at them, directing their hostility toward the four.

"Damn that bastard!" Razor Wolf growled, feeling pity for these beings, only imagining what twisted experiments Helix performed on these individuals to make them into these abominations.

Then, acting on instinct alone, the creatures launched themselves at their foes, with one charging at Razor Wolf as it tried to slash at him with his claw hand and tendrils, where the cybernetically enhanced wolf hero managed to dodge and evade the creature's strikes as he tried to fight his enemy.

Meanwhile, another started to scale the tower, firing a burst of energy at Responder, who dodged in the air as the creature continued to fire, where he responded by fired several energy blasts on his own, causing the creature to let out a cry of fury as it was hit, but not too damaged.

It was then that Responder quickly noted that his attack didn't even leave a scratch on the tower, causing him to briefly wonder what the tower was made of, before he refocused on his fight.

Like Responder and Razor Wolf, Frequency and Cosmic Knockout were divided as they each took on one of the abominations, with the sound based hero keeping his distance as he threw a disc shaped speaker at the creature he was fighting, where it landed before the creature and began to produce a high tone echo.

Expecting the attack to leave the creature stumbling and rendered in a weakened state, shock and confusion fell upon Frequency as the attack did nothing to hinder the actions of the creature, leaving Frequency to think. 'Do these things not have ears?!'

But distracted in his thoughts, it allowed the creature to attack, where its blaster arm came up and began to fire at Frequency, who snapped out of his thoughts quick enough to start dodging as the abomination started to come closer to him.

While Frequency remained in his own endeavour, Cosmic Knockout was having troubles of her own.

Despite her great strength, it seemed as though close combat against such an enemy gave her a major disadvantage.

With each punch she threw, the abomination would block it with its line of tentacles, forming a defensive wall before between it and the pink haired heroine.

And while Cosmic Knockout continued to try and fight, striking back, the creature spread its tentacles out, smashing into the pink haired heroine's body and knocking her to the ground, causing her to let out a cry of pain, the sound of her cries caught Frequency's attention as he turned to her, where a great concern filled him at seeing the pink haired girl in danger.

'No, Eri!' Frequency thought with worry and concern, quickly dodging the swipe of the abomination's claw, before he quickly rushed to help his teammate and the girl he cared for.

'Move, Tora... move! You promised... you promised!' Frequency mentally yelled as he raced over, seeing the creature Cosmic Knockout was fighting now standing over her, with its clawed hand extended as though to skewer her.

And against all logic, against all doubts that had filled his head, Frequency leapt forward, using his body mass to tackle the creature and manage to bring it down, forcing both to the ground, leaving Cosmic Knockout with a stunned silence at the sight as she thought. 'Tora...'

Quickly getting to his feet and jumping back before the creature could strike at him, Frequency stood in front of the pink haired heroine as both abominations faced him, where he glared at the two, and said in a voice filled with anger and determination. "I became a hero... so that I could protect her smile... and I won't quit now!"

Cosmic Knockout's eyes widened at Frequency's words, before remembering the flowers Ai handed her the other day, saying that they were from someone who wants her to be happy, causing her to tear up a but, before smiling as she got up, gaining a determined smile as she stood next to her teammate, who looked at her with some confusion, before she nodded at him, a moment of understanding passing between them as they both looked back and got ready to fight, especially when Cosmic Knockout then asked. "How about we turn up the frequency?"

With the question, Frequency gave a grin, his confident smile warming Cosmic Kockout's heart, before the duo looked on and saw the abominations they had been fighting solo were teaming up against them.

But feeling the bond they thought they had lost between one another, Frequency and Cosmic Knockout sprung into action, with the sound based hero renewing their fight as he brought up his arms and released a series of discs from his gauntlets at the abominations, causing them to act on instinct and bring up their tentacles to block the ranged onslaught.

And with the creatures stuck blocking Frequency's attacks, it allowed Cosmic Knockout to follow up with an attack of her own, to which the pink haired heroine rushed around the creatures and showed her power, no longer hindered by her conflicted feelings as she jumped at the one on her right and slammed her fist into its face, the impact and power of her punch smashing the abomination right into the ground, the creature no longer moving as its tendrils stopped flailing.

With one of the experiments taken down and looking as though it wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, Cosmic Knockout and Frequency joined together as they faced the second abomination.

Giving off a fearsome roar at the sight of the duo approaching it, the creature then set out its cannon mounted arm, charging it with energy as it opened fire at the two, where Cosmic Knockout moved aside, allowing Frequency to move in, where he clenched his right hand, surrounded it in sonic energy and slammed it into the barrel of the cannon, where the combinations of the creature's energies and his own overloaded the arm and causing it to blast apart, the creature letting out a screech of pain as its entire body was torn to shreds.

Meanwhile, Razor Wolf had won his battle, tearing the creature he was fighting's arm off, before using his blades to quickly decapitate the abomination, watching its body fall to the ground, before another screech and a flash of light caught his attention, looking to see the burning remains of the last experiment falling from a higher point on the tower as its body burned with a blue aura, thanks to Responder's energy attack.

"We got what we came for. Let's get going." The leader of the Vigilant said as the sound of sirens were heard, knowing that the police might take Knight's side in all this, before he looked at Frequency and Cosmic Knockout and asked. "You two alright?"

Smiling at the question, Cosmic Knockout said with a more enthusiastic voice. "Never better."

"Same here." Frequency added, before saying with a continued grin. "Now let's beat it before we wind up in the spotlight, and not in the good way."

Seeing the two somewhat back to their old selves, Responder nodded as the team took off, with a part of the tech hero hoping Infiltrator had all he needed now to figure out Knight's plans for Odaiba.

-The next day-

As the day before, Tora was walking home from school, and with no word from either Responder or Infiltrator, he knew the team could take the day off, allowing him to once again let his mind wander back to the revelation that the girl he liked and his female teammate were one and the same.

'How do I deal with this...?' Tora thought as he started walking through the park, still finding that though he felt more at ease with her as Frequency, he was still uncertain of the relationship he shared between himself and Eri.

Before he could think too hard on the subject however, much to his surprise, a hand reached out from a bush, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and pulled him in, causing him to let out a startled yelp, before his eyes widened to see that it was Eri, a big smile on her face at seeing him.

"Eri?! But... what... What about your friends? If they see us...?" Tora started to question, before Eri giggled and asked in reply. "If I was able to ditch them whenever I wanted, I wouldn't be much of a secret hero now, would I?"

"True." Tora replied with a small smile, finding Eri's comment a little amusing, but he was more happy to be able to speak with the girl he liked without anybody trying to stop them.

"So, listen..." Tora began to say, trying to find the right words to explain his hero persona.

"I'm sorry I never told you I was Frequency, I'm sorry I never told you a lot of things. Every time I saw you, I really wanted to speak with you, but between your friends and my nerves, I never found the right chance." The blond then said, feeling a little blame from the chances he never took.

"I'm as much to blame for all this." Eri replied with a sad smile, where she added. "I never told you I was Cosmic Knockout either, and I could never work up the courage to either talk to you or tell my 'friends' to be quiet for a moment."

"But... can I ask you something? As Frequency, you're so confident and carefree, but the rest of the time, you're shy, timid and nervous, why?" Eri asked, trying to wrap her head about the two personalities he's seen in this boy.

"The shy Tora you know is who I really am. I was raised to show respect and discipline, but as Frequency, I can let all that go. I can do what I want and not have to worry about what my friends and family will think or say. There are times I want to just let loose and express what I am thinking, but without my Frequency personality, I feel trapped, so I stay silent." Tora told Eri, where he felt a little embarrassed at the explanation, but hoped Eri understood.

"I kind of get it." Eri replied as she looked up at the clouds and added. "As the girl you see before you, I'm constantly worried about what others think about me, wanting to make others happy, even at the expense of what I want. But as Cosmic, I can be who I want to be and not be afraid of what others think and... and still put smiles on people's faces."

"Well... as Eri or as Cosmic Knockout, you always make me smile." Tora said with a small smile of his own, expressing empathy and sincerity in his words, before looking over at Eri, quickly gaining a light blush on his face as he saw her close to him with a bright smile of her own.

"And whether it's Tora or Frequency, I think I like them both." Eri replied, gaining a light blush of her own as she leaned in and gave Tora a quick kiss on the cheek, before getting up and leaving their hiding spot as she began to head on home, leaving the stunned form of Tora sitting in place, before bringing his hand to where Eri had kissed him.

And after overcoming the stupefied state he was in, now knowing that the girl of his dreams had indeed kissed him, Tora couldn't help himself as he gave a big grin, and an even louder cheer.

"So Groovy!" He called, expressing nothing but joy, with part of him still finding it hard to believe Eri had kissed him, but he continued to enjoy the moment, while Eri, who was still close enough to hear his cheerfulness, giggled lightly as she continued to walk with a big smile on her face.

-Meanwhile-

From his office, Knight watched the security footage on his main computer, with only a frown on his face, showing his displeasure as he sat contently, while Helix, Jester, Lady Beauty and Kouki all stood before his desk, each holding nervous expressions on their faces.

"I can't believe they destroyed my wonderful creations!" Helix cried out, angered to see his hard work destroyed so easily.

"Such ugliness doesn't belong in this world, so they did you a favour." Lady Beauty commented calmly, detesting Helix's experiments and the results of what he considered were superior beings.

"So what now?" Kouki then asked, seeing Knight turn his computer off, before watching as his employer arose and looked out the window, staring down the nearly finished town before him.

"They're getting closer than I expected. Fortunately, time is on our side." The CEO of KnightCorps replied, before adding with a smirk as his eyes glowed with a red hue. "But why leave everything to chance? The next time, I think I will be there... personally."


	11. Chapter 11

As the sun set over Odaiba, the soccer arena was alive with music, lights and an uproar of cheering of fans, the stadium filled to the brim as Nene performed her live concert for her adoring fans.

As she sang and gave it her all, Nene couldn't help but smile, seeing all the people smiling and enjoying themselves, reminding herself of not only why she became an idol, but a heroine as well, to keep people smiling and to show them that the world wasn't as dark and dreadful as some might think.

As she continued to perform, Nene's smile grew a little more as she focused her attention down and to the front row, seeing Davis amongst those in the front, happy to see the man she adored and loved seeing her performing, while trying not to frown at the brunette who stood next to him, who shared a similar passive smile on her face to her own.

"Having fun, Kari?" Davis asked as best he could through the cheering and music, having asked Nene for the tickets as a way to help Kari unwind after the past week with classes, as well to make up for missing a few times she wanted to spend time with him due to his heroic activities.

"I am. Thank you for bringing me here, Davis." Kari replied with a continued smile as she looked upon the maroon haired boy and told him. "I always have fun when I'm with you."

Though he was glad Kari seemed to be enjoying the show, mentally, however, Kari's mind was a mix of anger, panic, and small, petty jealousy as she thought with a growing bitterness. 'First a top model has a thing for MY Davis and now not only a top idol, but one of V-Force's tramps?! Do the rest of those insects know him too?!'

While she remained focused, making sure the crowd kept their smile, looking at the front row and sneaking glances of Kari, Nene thought. 'Davis, it was sweet of you to bring Kari to my concert to lighten her spirits, but I'm going to make sure I'm the only one who you see in the spotlight tonight.'

Nene continued her concert, ending with a big finale as the crowd cheered for her, expressing a great array of positivity, where she thanked them all before heading backstage, smiling to see Davis waiting for her, while mentally grinning to see Kari with him, having given them backstage passes as well for her show.

"Ah, Mr. Motomiya, I'm so glad you could come. I hope you both enjoyed the show." Nene said to the pair, keeping up the act to keep Davis' hero life a secret, which caused a part of her to mental smirk, knowing something about the maroon haired boy that Kari was oblivious to.

"Thank you for the tickets, Ms. Amano." Davis said in reply, keeping his respect for Nene up, before guestering to Kari and adding. "This is my close friend, Kari Kamiya."

"It's nice to finally meet you. Davis has said so many nice things about you." Nene said as she looked upon Kari, smiling at the brunette before her, while her more jealous side took over and left her thinking. 'I don't care if you two are childhood friends, I've gotten to know Davis on a level you could never reach, so he deserves to be with someone who will treat him right, he deserves to be with me.'

"And it's so nice to meet you as well. I'm a big fan." Kari then replied with a sweet smile, before she too was led on a more negative thought process, thinking to herself. 'You are so lucky Davis is right here, you worm, or I'd end your pathetic existence right here and now. You better watch yourself, because if you try anything with Davis as Nene or Songbird, I won't hesitate to end you painfully.'

Kari then smirked mentally as she then thought. 'Fortunately, I have other plans for you tonight, my dear Songbird. You'll be singing for me very soon.'

Once again, Davis felt a familiar sense of doom and dread as he looked at the pair smiling at one another, seemingly happy to be in the presence of the other, but within, there was something telling Davis that bringing his two female friends together was a mistake.

'The mood feels just like when she and Rika met.' Davis thought with a sigh, having thought that the two girls meeting Kari might help them move on from him, but found that he might have unknowingly added Kari to their little rivalry for his attention.

"So it's getting late and we have classes tomorrow. It was good seeing you again, Ms. Amano." Davis then said in a quick voice as he quickly grabbed Kari's hand and pulled her away, where the duo made their way out, the two girls still smiling at one another as they began to part ways, but their smiles were leaving a small message, as though trying to get it through one another who would win Davis in the end.

Letting out a sigh once Davis and Kari were out of the backstage area, Nene turned her head when she saw her manager coming, where she said to the idol with a sincere smile. "That was another amazing performance."

"There's a reporter who wants an interview. He's waiting outside your dressing room, security already checked him, he's good." Nene's manager then informed, causing Nene to smile and nod in reply.

"Thanks. I've got some time to kill before I meet with the Protectors, so I'll see what he wants and let him know who Nene Amano is, on and offstage." Nene replied, taking a towel one of the stagehands gave her and wiped the sweat off her head, before resting it around her neck, drinking a bottle of water as she made her way to her dressing room.

Once she got close enough, Nene saw a man standing outside the room, roughly her age, and if she was honest with herself, he wasn't bad looking either, he wasn't Davis, but he was a close second.

Taking in his appearance, the reporter had a good looking body, as well as a cute face, with Nene noticing that with his spiky brown hair, there was a section in the front that was a light shade of red, leaving her wondering if it was natural or had been dyed that way.

But one thing she noticed the most about the reporter was his face, not only finding the smile on his face quite charming, but looking into his hazel coloured eyes, she could see a great shine within them.

"Ah, Ms. Amano, or should I say Songbird? Either way, it's a pleasure to meet you." The reporter said as he held out his hand to shake Nene's, leaving the idol smiling at the gesture.

"It's always nice to meet a fan." Nene said in reply, shaking the reporter's hand, where she noticed the smile on his face growing as he tightened his grip, a seal of magic glowing on his right hand, where all thought left Nene's mind, her eyes glazed over and her body relaxed, dropping the water bottle in the process as she stared vacantly at the brunette before her, looking on as his smile turned to a big grin.

"Well, that worked better than the boss said." Tagiru, or Fusionist, said to himself as his smirk grew, seeing that the spell worked at the Night Queen had said it would, leaving the idol heroine in a suggestible state, allowing him to have some 'fun' for a bit.

"And we still have a little time before she shows up..." Fusionist thought aloud as he continued to stare at the entranced form of Nene, before speaking up and asking. "So how about we go inside and out of the way of people who would get in the way?"

"Anything you say..." Nene replied in a vacant tone as she opened the door, first allowing the brunette villain inside, before entering herself and closing the door behind them.

Now inside of Nene's dressing room and with her remaining standing before the door, staring at him with a remaining distant smile, Fusionist slowly walked up to the entranced idol, where he slid her jacket off her body, before he set his hands on her bare shoulders.

"You have one seriously amazing body." He commented, before smirking as his hands moved lower, sliding down and cupping Nene's breasts, which made Fusionist smirk to see Nene put up no resistance to his touches, before moving his hands along the rest of her body.

"I'm sure we're going to have a lot of 'fun' together once the boss makes you her puppet." Fusionist then told Nene, sliding his hands down her waist, along her slender hips and reaching around to cup her ass, loving the combination of Nene's body so close to him and the control he held over her.

"Now, as your Master for the time being, you and those pains in the neck, Red Nova and Thunderstrike, have put me through a lot." Fusionist said as he removed his hands off of Nene's body, took a seat on one of the seats within the dressing room, keeping an eye and a sly smile upon the entranced heroine and relaxed himself for what was to come.

"So in order to make up for it, you will give me a massage. Start with the shoulders, then work your way down." Fusionist ordered, unable to hold back a small laugh as Nene nodded and said with a continued distance in her voice. "As you command, Master..."

From the seat, Fusionist grinned as Nene approached him, walking behind him, before she set her hands on his shoulders and began to gently rub at them, earning a relaxed sigh from the brunette villain.

"That's it, my hot little pet." Fusionist said, closing his eyes as he continued to relax and enjoy the moment. "Keep massaging shoulders."

"Oh..." He then let out as a devious smirk appeared on his face, where he then instructed. "As you continue to massage my body, I want you to praise me while also saying harmful things about your beloved V-Force."

"Understood, Master..." Nene replied happily through her entranced state, before the enthralled idol mindlessly said. "Master... you are very handsome... V-Force couldn't hope to look as good as you... You have such a great body... Why would I want to spend time with a loser like V-Force when I can be with my beloved Master...? Obeying you makes me so happy... Listening to V-Force is just tedious work..."

The whole time Nene continued to speak, praising Fusionist and downcasting her leader and crush, her hands moved lower, sliding from Fusionist's shoulders and to his back, where Nene lifted up the suit Fusionist wore to sneak his way inside and began to give him a back massage, smiling mindlessly as she continued to obey, listening carefully to the sighs he gave, as to make mental notes of which parts of his back needed the most attention.

"Serving you is a joy, while serving V-Force could never compare to how happy I am right now..." Nene said happily through her entranced state, which continued to make Fusionist smirk, loving the position he was in.

He then closed his eyes, enjoying the attention he was getting, until he then felt Nene stop, where he opened his eyes, nearly gulping as he saw a familiar shadow form in front of him.

"I see you are enjoying yourself." The Night Queen said, while smirking behind her mask to see the combination of Fusionist's sudden panic, but more so at seeing Nene reduced to a mindless puppet by her spell and hearing the words she mindlessly droned about V-Force at his command.

"I... I was just making sure the spell really worked..." Fusionist said with a continued worry in his voice, before getting out of his seat and bowing to the Night Queen, leaving Nene smiling ahead and at the arch villainess.

"So... you're going to put that Mark on her, right? Make her join us?" The brunette villain then asked, hoping that with her as the Night Queen's servant, he would have more time to spend with her, as well as to do far more than just having her massage his body.

"Later, perhaps. The Mark of Shadows will take too long and the Protectors might react to fast. I have something else in mind." The Night Queen said as a small dark portal opened next to her shadow, before a small shadow-like being slithered out, moving across the ground, before seemingly entering Nene's body, before the Night Queen said with a dark smile. "Tonight, the Protectors will fall to one of their own."

-Later-

At the Protectors' base, most of the team was in the training rooms, with Takuya and Zoe sparring with one another, Angie working on different moved with her speed as Mimi helped with her vines, causing the redhead to try and time her speed with the sudden appearance of plant like attacks, Henry and Suzie sparring with Mikey, with the fire-based hero trying to help the two train in the event of them running into Red Phoenix, while TK and Tai were helping Izzy test out some new tech gear he had been working on.

Having observed the communications technology the Vigilant used, Izzy wanted to implant the same technology within the suits of his fellow heroes and heroines, to help keep them monitored and strengthen their link as a team.

Meanwhile, Cody sat at the monitoring station, not only watching the group train and keep an eye out for trouble, but to also wait for the arrival of Davis, who had just dropped Kari off from their date, Nene, who should've been done with her performance, and Rika, who had a modelling gig to attend.

Soon enough, Cody heard the elevator door open, turning for a second and giving a small look to see Nene walking in, before looking back at the monitors as he began to say. "Hey, Nene, great show. Sorry we couldn't all be there but you know..."

However, before the young boy could continue in his sentence, he felt a sharp pain in his neck causing his eyes to widen before he lost consciousness, where Nene then moved him out of the chair, sat down in his place before the monitors, and began to type.

At the next moment, the alarms in the training level began to blare, confusing the Protectors present, causing Tai to question. "What's going on?"

"_Security lockdown engaged... Hostiles detected on training level... Activating security measures..__._" The automated voice of the computer system declared, before the laser gun emplacements all over the training level used to help the heroes practice came online, shocking the heroes as they began targeting the group.

As the heroes began to dodge their own defences, Izzy quickly took out his phone, dialing Davis' number as he ducked behind Tai's energy barrier, managing to get in contact with the maroon haired hero, who was walking home after dropping Kari off.

"Izzy.. what... going...?" Izzy heard Davis try to say from the line, but found the connection weak, most likely due to the security measures he installed now being used against him and his allies.

"Davis... Lockdown... Someone... controlling... security..." Davis heard Izzy try to say through the line, before it went dead, causing the maroon haired hero to try calling again, only to get a dead signal.

"Shit, this isn't good." Davis said as he tried to contact the others, but found the signal dead for the rest of the Protectors, before he tried Nene's phone, only to find it was off, confusing and concerning him, wondering if Nene was also a target against their defences or if something had occured back at the stadium.

Remaining calm, Davis then tried Rika's number, getting the redhead on the line, where she asked. "Davis, what's wrong? I was just leaving my gig."

"Something's happening at the base. I'm not sure, but it sounds like someone's hacked our security system and is using it to attack the others." Davis said in reply, his tone remaining serious and of concern, before adding. "I can't reach Nene either, but for now, we need to head to the base and shut down the systems before anybody gets hurt."

"Alright. I'll meet you there. If someone is in control, we need to get to the monitoring station quickly. We need to take them by surprise." Rika said, something Davis agreed with.

-Moments later-

With a quick blast, one of the windows of the Protectors' base shattered as V-Force and Vixen flew in, both looking on with concern to see Cody knocked out on the floor, before seeing someone at the controls, before their eyes widened at who was at the console, seeing who was trying to destroy them.

"Songbird?! What...?!" V-Force started to ask in shock and confusion, before said brunette stood up and turned to face the pair, both instantly seeing that something was wrong with her, both from the dark smirk on her face, and that fact that the sclera in her eyes were black instead of white, while her irises were a dark shade of red, before a dark laugh left the lips of the idol, one not of her own.

"**It seems I missed two. No matter, the Night Queen will still be pleased when I bring your broken corpses to her.**" Something said through Songbird as she glared at the two, who were shocked at not only the sound of the voice, but the words it spoke.

"The Night Queen?" V-Force let out, now knowing Nene was being controlled, before Vixen said in warning. "She's possessed! V-Force, be careful, a shadow demon is now controlling her!"

"**Clever girl.**" The dark entity said through Songbird, before the two heroes watched what looked like shadowy wings come out of Nene's back, becoming even more shocked as multiple red eyes opened along them, all narrowing at the pair's direction.

Then, faster than either V-Force or Vixen had ever seen Songbird move, the possessed heroine quickly closed the gap between them, grabbing both by their necks as she moved, before dragging them back out the window, where she threw both of them in separate directions, leaving V-Force and Vixen each slamming into nearby buildings.

"Ouch... She's a lot stronger now..." V-Force let out through his groans as he started to pull himself out of the crater his body had formed, before his eyes widened as he saw not only Songbird's hands glowing with energy, now red instead of the usual blue, but the eyes on her new wings as well, telling him that the possessed heroine was about to attack.

"**Die, you fool! Die so that Zhaitan's champion can triumph!**" The Shadow Demon cried out though its host as it unleashed a powerful blast of energy at the hero, one too big for him to dodge.

However, much to his relief and worry, Vixen flew in front of him, where she drew her staff, holding it before her and casting a mystical barrier of energy in front of her and V-Force, just as the dark energy collided with it, where the red haired mystic gave a strained groan at the dark power now pushing against her, before it eventually subsided, causing Vixen to let out a panted sigh as she dropped the barrier.

"Vixen, are you ok?" V-Force asked in worry, before the redhead shook off her fatigue and gave him an affirmative nod, where the Vixen then said in a serious tone. "We need to somehow hold her down so that I can remove the demon from her. The longer it stays inside of Nene, the stronger it'll become."

"**Good luck with that, girl!**" The possessed form of Songbird declared as she quickly closed the gap between herself and the pair of heroes, delivering a swift kick to V-Force, sending him flying back a few feet, before she began to try and hit Vixen, who did her best to dodge her possessed rival's attacks.

"**You know, I can feel it. My host, a part of her would love nothing more than to beat you down, to make you crawl and beg for your life as she has V-Force's arms wrapped around her.**" The Demon taunted through its puppet, trying to use Nene's memories and her feelings against Vixen, but frowned when it saw that the redhead didn't flinch at all.

"You can try and taunt me all you like, but I won't fall for your tricks." Vixen declared, before adding. "And I know Songbird better than you think. I know she'd sooner share V-Force than force him to be with you."

'I hope, at least...' Vixen then thought, before quickly hiding her doubts as V-Force shot towards Songbird from behind, where the possessed heroine quickly turned as a claw of pure shadows formed around her left arm, using it as a shield to block V-Force's blade.

"**You two might want to worry less about this girl and more on your friends dying inside there.**" The Demon then said with a dark laugh, where V-Force and Vixen tensed up, worried about the others and how they were faring against the security systems.

-Inside-

"Damn it, Izzy. Did you have to make these turrets so powerful?!" Suzie yelled as she and the others hid behind an energy barrier Izzy was making from the parts of his HiTech suit he had on as Mimi tried to create a wall of vines to help protect them, both slowly failing to the onslaught of laser fire.

"Cut Izzy some slack." Mimi called back, before saying with a defensiveness in her voice as she remained standing up for the tech hero. "He installed that system to protect us. How was he supposed to know something like this would happen?"

"I should have thought about it though." Izzy then thought aloud, believing if he had overlooked all outcomes of his security system, then maybe this incident wouldn't have occured.

"It's ok, Izzy. We all make mistakes." Mikey assured, ducking under another blast, before stating. "But right now we need to focus on finding a way to shut down the system."

_Intruders still detected on training level... Commencing purge of level... Evacuate immediately..._

"Uhh... Izzy, what does that mean?" Tai asked with worry as he saw the redhead's face pale, before he replied. "In a few seconds, all of us, save Takuya and Mikey, will be burnt to a crisp!"

The group's eyes widened at the shocking information, before they saw several sections of the wall opening, revealing high-powered flamethrowers, which were about ready to ignite.

"Seriously, who exactly did you build this system for in order to keep out?!" Takuya asked in panic, before Izzy replied with a growl. "Who do you think?!"

As the heroes closed their eyes, about to be annihilated by a security system meant to take on the Night Queen herself, the group prepared for the end.

_Override code accepted... Security system deactivated..._

Hearing the mechanical voice of the security system dying down the group then opened their eyes to see the turrets powering down, along with the flamethrowers, causing them to let out sighs of relief as they wondered what happened.

Having come too just moments ago, Cody heard the alarm beeping from the monitor, and used all his will power to quickly get up, seeing his friends in danger, and quickly used his access code to shut the defences down, let out a sigh as he slumped back to the ground, before turning and looking in shock out the window to see a corrupted form of Songbird fighting V-Force and Vixen.

"**Damn it, I should have killed that boy!**" The demon yelled as Songbird turned to see that Cody had stopped its plan.

However, before it could react, the possessed heroine was tackled from behind by V-Force, the pair shooting back into the base, with Songbird on her back as V-Force tried to hold her down, just as the others came up from the training room as Tai began to ask. "What the hell is going...?!"

"Shut up and help me hold her down!" V-Force quickly yelled with a great seriousness in his voice, knowing he didn't have much time before the possessed heroine would break free from his hold.

It was then that the group noticed Nene and what had happened to her, especially as she let out screams that didn't sound human, nor the shadow wings as they flapped around, causing Tai, TK, Takuya and Mikey to act as they helped to hold her down, while Mimi summoned a group of vines to wrap around the possessed girl, trying to hold her down alongside her teammate, allowing Vixen to move on in, her staff glowing as she held her left hand up before her face, chanting in an ancient language as a magic seal began to form beneath Nene's restrained form.

"**Curse you all!**" The demon yelled as a white crystal appeared about Nene's body, where Vixen finished her chant, causing the magic seal to glow brightly as the demon cried out, its shadow form quickly leaving Nene's body and entering the crystal, which turned back, before the idol collapsed and fell unconscious.

-Sometime later-

With a pain groan, Nene slowly opened her eyes, wondering what had happened, before she realized she was lying on the couch at the Protectors' base, sitting up and finding everyone looking at her with worry.

Even Davis and Rika were there, both in their hero outfits, but minus Davis' helmet and Rika's mask, each expressing a similar concern as the rest of the team.

"What... what happened? How did I get here?" Nene asked in confusion, trying to remember what had happened to her that led her to her current position.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Davis asked in concern, where Nene tried to remember as she replied. "After you and Kari left, my Manager said there was a reporter who wanted to talk to me. I went to meet them and..."

Nene placed her hand on her head, trying to clear the fog in her mind, before replying. "I don't remember anything after that, it's all blank."

"Do you remember the reporter at all?" Mikey asked, hoping to have some lead on who was helping the Night Queen in all of this, but try as she might, Nene couldn't remember any details, leaving her shaking her head.

"The concert's security footage was scrubbed clean, so we can't identify them either that way." Cody then informed from his chair, having looked through the footage to see if he could ID the reporter, but had no luck.

"**I'll kill you all when I get out of here!**" A loud yell then got the Protectors' attention as they turned to see the crystal lying on the coffee table, as a single red eye was now glaring at them through it, causing Nene to panic a little as she asked in fear. "What is that?!"

Letting out a sigh, Davis and Rika explained what had happened, filling the brunette with shock, worry, but most of all, guilt, seeing that the Night Queen had used her and nearly destroyed her team through her.

Meanwhile, when none of the heroes were looking at it, the demon's eye widened as it got a good look at Davis' face, where it thought to itself. '**Wait he's... I see... Seems Lord Zhaitan's more cunning than I anticipated.**'

"I'm... I'm so sorry, everyone... This was all my fault and..." Nene started to say as she felt tears forming, feeling a great gloom overcome her, before feeling a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing the brunette to look up to see Davis looking at her with a caring smile.

"It's alright, Nene. None of this is your fault. The only one to blame in the Night Queen." The maroon haired hero said comfortingly, while inside was pissed that the Night Queen now targeted his team directly like this.

"But I'm the easiest for them to get to! I let my guard down and..." Nene started to say, before Rika cut her off as she picked the crystal up. "No one could have expected her to go for you, but I do agree, we all need to be more careful now."

"Who knows? If the Night Queen knew I was a model, she might've gone for me." Rika added with a continued care toward Nene, causing her to smile at Rika's kindness.

"What are you going to do with that?" Tai had to ask as he glared at the crystal. "Please tell me you're going to send it back where it came from."

"Why? So what the Night Queen can resummon it and it tells her not only where our base is, but what we look like?" Rika replied with a glare, causing Tai to gulp as he realized that Rika was right, before the mystic heroine informed. "It's best if it remains sealed and locked away for now."

"Do what you need to." Davis said, trusting Rika, before looking upon his teammates and declaring. "In the meantime, we need to work on repairing our base and getting ourselves prepared. The Night Queen is now targeting us directly, so we can't let our guards down again."

-Meanwhile-

Sitting on her throne, Kari smiled behind her mask, feeling satisfied on having caused panic and disorder among her enemies, even if she had to listen to Tagiru whine about losing his future pet, where she reminded him that there was always next time.

"**The seals are almost gone now, the time of your Ascension is close, my Champion.**" Zhaitan's voice said in Kari's mind, before the Dark One then said in warning. "**But be warned, your rivals are moving quicker than expected. If they aren't stopped, they could ruin everything you've worked so hard for.**"

"I'll crush anyone who dares stand against me, The Protectors, the Vigilant, KnightCorps, anyone! Those who don't bow before me will be swept aside and burnt away with the old world as they suffer my wrath!" Kari replied with a dark smile, one mirrored by the Dark One watching her.

'**Everything is going as I have foreseen.**' The Dark One thought, before giving a dark chuckle, knowing that if things continued in the way anticipated, then all would fall into darkness at the hands of the Night Queen... and her beloved.


	12. Chapter 12

Driving in two separate police vehicles, the members of StarCorps held apprehensive and worried expressions as they headed towards their destination, before Marcus asked through his communicator. "Hey, Thomas, are you sure the message came from Azumi?"

"Yes, and she said it was urgent. It regards the Cartel and they apparently have something big going on." The blond hero said in reply as he looked over the note that was found in front of their precinct, one of several the female vigilante had left in the past, usually alerting the police to locations of criminals she had 'left' for them to take away.

Part of Thomas wanted to call in the Protectors to help in the event things got heated, but knew that Davis and his team were focusing their efforts on finding the Dark Legion, especially after the Night Queen's latest attack and having used Nene against them.

Soon enough, the two cars came to a halt, parking adjacent an alleyway Azumi mentioned in her instructions, where all got out of the vehicles and headed down the path, keeping up their guards, before seeing the raven haired girl resting against the wall as she eyed them.

"What? No big shot heroes this time?" Azumi asked with some amusement in her voice, before sighing.

"Shame. I was hoping to show Cyberstriker what other skills I had." The raven haired girl added with a small smile behind her face mask.

"I'll be sure to pass that message along." Thomas replied as his left eyebrow twitched in annoyance, before he then asked. "Now, what did you want to see us about?"

"There's a ship arriving at the port in an hour or so. Word on the street is the Cartel has it filled with weapons, and not normal street ones, I'm talking hi-tech stuff. They plan to sell them off to the various street gangs still in the city, which will probably start a gang war in itself." Azumi informed, causing the StarCorps to widen their eyes in shock, before Yoshi excused herself to contact Commissioner Sampson and inform him on this development.

"Do you know which ship it is?" Keenan asked in concern, part of him hoping they could lockdown the ship before the gangs arrived.

"Yes, a few thugs I ran into were quite... talkative, once I got through with them. But from what they told me, several leads of the Cartel will be present to show off the goods. This could be a chance to deal the Cartel a crippling blow if we can catch them now, as well as you guys putting a few gang leaders behind bars." Azumi informed, causing the StarCorps members to think more on what she said, knowing it could not only help lower crime in the city, but help cripple an international crime syndicate in the process.

Returning to the group, Yoshi then informed the others. "Sampson's given us the go ahead, S.A.T. and Armoured Corp will be on standby nearby to assist as needed."

"They should also be informed to use rebreathers if Planteur Fonce is there, unless we want to end up fighting our fellow officers as well." Miki added, reminding the group of the plant based villainess with the Cartel, and her power to manipulate others with her pollen.

"Then let's get going. The longer we wait, the quicker this sale can go off!" Marcus then said with a fiery determination, refusing to allow the Cartel to bring more harm to the city through their greedy and corruptive ways.

-Sometime later-

As though to keep a low profile, the ship, which looked like a regular cargo tanker, seemed nearly deserted, with only a few guards on the top deck, in order to not draw any suspicions.

Sadly for said guards, they didn't see it coming as several shadow tendrils quickly came up out of the darkness, wrapping around them, and quickly knocking them out as Azumi and the police heroes quickly moved into the ship, before reaching the inner cargo hold, which was remade into a sort of showroom, with several known gang leaders all sitting amongst a large table, while Cartel guards lined the room, and several dozen large metallic containers filled the back.

Before the table, four individuals were present, three sitting, and one standing.

The first one sitting, where the StarCorps and Azumi quickly recognized as Planteur Fonce, causing the police heroes to quickly hit a button on their visors as protective face masks covered their mouths and noses, ensuring the blonde wouldn't be able to take control of them.

The individual next to the blonde villainess, meanwhile, was massive, looking like a cross between a man and a crab, with his body encased in a shell-like armour, while his left hand resembled a large, crab-like claw, where only a pair of red eyes were seen through what looked like eye sockets in the armoured being's head.

"Derek Wallace, aka Hardshell, rumored head of the Cartel's Australian operations, as well as one of their man muscles." Quickshot informed the others as she looked upon the villain's info displayed on her visor.

Next to Hardsell was a man who was wearing a black hoodie and jeans, but what quickly stood out was the fact that his arms, and his entire head, were covered in flames, save for a pair of glowing blue eyes that could be seen through the flames.

"Phil Anderson, also known as Blaze. His body is actually held together by a special combustive chemical, and he's one of the Cartel's main hitmen. Wanted on multiple accounts of murder and intimidation charges." The auburn haired girl then told her allies, having accessed the blazing man's information, knowing now that physical attacks would only result in terrible burns.

The last person, and the one standing, however, had caught the StarCorps and Azumi by surprise, for his face was one everyone recognized, Michael Hendricks, aka Deathstrike of the Dark Legion.

"Shit..." Cobalt Warrior groaned as the group backed up a little, all concerned as Starlight then added. "Seems the rumors that he was also a Cartel leader have been confirmed."

"Yes, and now we have to worry if there is some kind of alliance between them and the Dark Legion, and if this is all somehow part of the Night Queen's endgame." The blond haired hero said aloud as the group then turned and listened in on the conversation below.

"Gentlemen, ladies, I can remember a time when your groups were feared, when even the cops were too afraid to come after you, but what changed this, what caused us to be the ones left in fear? That's simple enough, more and more heroes began to show up, forcing all of you to hide in the shadows." Deathstrike said, smirking behind his mask as some of the gang leaders looked offended, but he knew he had them hooked.

"But that's all changed recently, hasn't it? Now many of those heroes are six feet under, and the cops are getting too tied up. But why let the Night Queen have all the fun? I'd say it's time you all retook your places on top of this city, and these are just the start." The gunslinging villain said as one of the guards opened one of the metal containers, taking out its contents, and handing it to his superior, giving the StarCorps a better look at what they were dealing with.

Astonished by what they saw Deathstrike now holding, Cobalt Warrior and the others saw the gunslinging villain now wielding a large cannon-like rifle based weapon in his hands, where the group noticed that between the barrel of the weapon and the trigger, there were several canisters lined on the sides, each charging with a light blue energy, with each linked into the weapon and giving it its power.

"I'm seeing a mix of tech in that weapon. Some of HiTech's, some KnightCorps, even some of our own." Cobalt Warrior told the others as he looked the weapon over, growing angry and concerned as to how the Cartel got their hands on most of the tech in the first place, before watching Deathstrike continue his presentation.

"Check out this beauty. State of the art, and it can turn even one of those annoying PD mech drones to a slag heap in seconds." The Dark Legionnaire said, just before the group heard the sounds of rolling nearby, looking to the side to see some of the Cartel guards wheeling in a deactivated Drone that they positioned for the demonstration, before quickly moving out of the way.

"Allow me to give you a demonstration." Deathstrike then said with a dark grin as he directed the cannon to the Drone, charging the weapon as he kept his finger on the trigger, before letting go and causing a massive surge of electrical energy to erupt from the barrel, quickly coming into contact with the Drone, where the electrical blast devastated the inactive machine, consuming it in a great and terrible explosion, leaving little to nothing of the machine in the aftermath.

Turning back to the table with a glint in his eyes, Deathstrike then asked with a smirk. "Now, who wants to be the top dog again? Ten thousand for each of these beauties."

Azumi and the StarCorps then heard the gang leaders clamoring, each wanting one of the weapons for themselves, before Quickshot handed Azumi a rebreather of her own, while Shadow Walker whispered into her comm to the police forces waiting outside. "All units, prepare to move in."

Then, nodding to one another, the police heroes and the raven haired vigilante quickly jumped down from their hiding place to the floor below, startling the gang leaders, surprising the Cartel as the three sitting leaders stood up and the guards to raise their weapons, and for Deathstrike to let out an annoyed sigh as he asked. "Who invited you?"

"We don't need an invitation when scum like you needs to be dealt with." Fighting Fury said as she slammed his fist into his open palm, ignoring the gang leaders as they ran for the exits, knowing the S.A.T. and Armoured units would apprehend them, allowing the heroes to focus on the four villains and their guards.

"I'm guessing that annoying tramp is responsible for you being here?" Planteur Fonce asked as she, Blaze and Hardshell moved next to Deathstrike who, much to the heroes' confusion, handed off the weapon in his hand to a guard, before drawing out his pistols.

"I said it was a good weapon, but I never said it was my style." The gunslinging villain said nonchalantly as he glared at Quickshot, wanting some payback for her interference the last time the StarCorps came to the Protectors' aid.

"Well, from what my mates have told me, the one in red's the tough one. Looking forward to seeing him crack!" Hardshell then said with a laugh as he brought his claw up, opening and closing it a few times to make his point.

"Can it, lobster head! Let's just leave them a pile of ashes and get out of here!" Blaze then added as the flames around his arms and head burned even hotter as he got into a fighting stance, ready to strike down those against him.

"Save some of them for me, messieurs. I can think of quite a few things to do with some of them." Planteur Fonce said with a dark smirk as vines began to grow along her body, including a pair of thorn-like blades as she prepared to fight.

"This ends now! We got some nice, cozy cells waiting for you, so either surrender quietly or we can do this the fun way." Fighting Fury said with a grin as orange electricity surged through his body.

"Fun way sounds so much better, mate!" Hardshell called back as he quickly rushed at the brunette, bringing his claw down, narrowly missing Fighting Fury as he jumped to the left, where he saw the indentation left by the force of the pincer.

"You've got a good left hook." Fighting Fury confessed, before clenching his left hand into a fist and saying with a grin. "But let's see whose is better."

Charging back at the half man, half crab being, Fighting Fury pulled his arm back, before throwing it forward as a powerful punch, smashing it into Hardshell's body, causing him to give a small groan from the impact of Fighting Fury's attack.

But living up to his name, Hardshell quickly recovered from the attack, showing his body hadn't suffered as much as Fighting Fury had anticipated, before the duo found themselves locked in close combat, each trying to strike the other with an onslaught of powerful arm swings and jabs, with the brunette managing to get in a few hits, only to see the damage was continuously absorbed by the thick exoskeleton that covered Hardshell's body.

Meanwhile, during the time Fighting Fury and Hardhsell had begun their fight, to prove who was the stronger of the two, Quickshot and Deathstrike were shooting things out, each taking cover around the metal columns that supported the large hold they were in, not only wanting to prove who was better with a gun, but Deathstrike wanted to put a bullet right between Quickshot's eyes.

'At least he won't try and use his rocket launcher in such a small area, not without risking damaging the ship and causing it to sink.' Quickshot thought as she took cover from another round from Deathstrike, who gave a dark grin as he stared the heroine down.

"You can hide all you want, but I always get my mark." Deathstrike declared, quickly turning around the pillar Quickshot was hiding behind and opened fire, causing the auburn haired heroine to act fast as she rushed and slid under the table, coming out the other end on her back, pistols drawn and fired back.

Nearby and meanwhile, Azumi was doing her best to dodge the onslaught of thorn tipped vines that were shooting out towards her as she tried to get closer to Planteur Fonce, but grew frustrated as she saw the villainess literally sitting in a chair as she attacked, a smug look on her face as she seemed amused that her opponent wasn't getting close to her.

"You know, despite the pain in the ass you've been, I think I'll keep you around and add you to my... 'collection.' I could always use a pretty thing like you in my services." The plant villainess remarked as her smirk grew, even as Azumi's eyes narrowed.

"Thanks, but I'd rather kick your ass and drag your beaten body to the police." Azumi said in reply, before letting out a loud cry as she swung her staff at the incoming vines, shocking Planteur Fonce as the sheer force behind the swing as it snapped all her vines, before the masked vigilante quickly closed the distance between them, causing the villainess to jump out of her chair and draw out her thorn blades as she ducked and parried Azumi's attacks.

As those battles raged on, Cobalt Warrior and Midnight Raven found themselves in a delicate situation as Blaze slowly walked towards them, having read enough on his file to know that, whether ranged or close combat, the fiery villain was dangerous.

"He can't use ranged too much in here, not without destroying the weapons, so we have some advantage there." The blond hero said aloud as he tried to figure out some way to fight this enemy.

"Do you really think I care about those cheap metals? The Cartel can always make more, but killing a few of Odaiba's 'Finests', now that's a better deal in my eyes." Blaze then said with a dark chuckle as he brought both hands up, causing a stream of fire to shoot out towards the pair, who quickly moved out of the way as the wall behind them began to melt, showing a lack of care for those around him, alongside his lack of mental stability.

Acting on his own, Midnight Raven took out several kunai and threw them at Blaze, who remained still as the flying weapons came towards him, before the ninja hero's eyes widened in shock to see the kunai all melt before they could reach their target, showing how much heat Blaze was now emitting.

"Is that it?" He mocked, always enjoying tormenting his victims and he wanted Cobalt Warrior and Midnight Raven to be no exception.

As the fighting raged on, with Starlight and Shadow Walker taking on the Cartel guards, one even firing one of the weapons in the air at Starlight, who moved just in time as the blast created a whole in the ceiling, Deathstrike mentally cursed at the situation, knowing that even if they managed to take these heroes out, the rest of the Odaiba PD were most likely outside.

They needed a distraction, and, looking at Hardshell's opponent, Deathstrike knew just how to make one.

"Fonce!" He called out towards his plant-based ally, who spared him a glance as she dodged Azumi's attack, seeing him tilt his head in the opposite direction, seeing where he was looking, before gaining a smirk as she knew what he had in mind.

"Sorry, dear, our playtime is over." Planteur Fonce commented as she pushed Azumi back, using her vines to quickly trip the girl, before jumping over to her destination.

"You put up a good fight, but this ends now!" Fighting Fury yelled, meanwhile, bringing his right fist back to try and punch Hardshell in the face, only for his arm to be caught in vines, along with his legs, as he felt someone press against his back.

"Now, now, monsieur, you need to relax." Planteur Fonce said with a smirk as several flowers grew along her outfit, releasing her hypnotic pollen as she reached around and quickly pulled the auburn hero's face mask off, first causing Fighting Fury to writhe around as he struggled against the restricting vines, only for his body to go limp and his eyes to glaze over as the pollen filled system, taking him over and allowing the blonde villainess to control him.

"Now, monsieur Fury, be a good boy, and kill your teammates!" Planteur Fonce commanded with a smirk as she released her vines.

Unable to disobey, Fighting Fury circled his fists in amber energy, before charging at Quickshot, who noticed the brunette coming at her from the corner of her eye, causing her to quickly duck and dodge as her teammate and boyfriend began to attack her for no reason.

"Fury, what are you...?!" The auburn heroines questioned in shock, before noticing his face mask missing and the blank look on his face, telling Quickshot all she needed to know about what had happened, concerning her greatly.

"Guys! Fonce got to Fury!" Quickshot yelled as she dodged her entranced teammates' strike, grateful for all the training she had done with him in the past, but now found it was being used against her, leaving Quickshot's teammates shocked to see Fighting Fury trying to strike down his girlfriend.

Acting quickly, Azumi, Starlight and Shadow Walker quickly came to Quickshot's aid, trying to help subdue their entranced friend, not noticing Deathstrike giving orders to the guards, who quickly began taking the cases of weapons out of the room.

'This isn't good...' Cobalt Warrior thought as he dodged another of Blaze's attacks, with the pyromaniac having set his hands ablaze once more and tried to blast the blond, while seeing not only Fury fighting his allies, but the Cartel beginning to take their weapons away to sell to someone else, seeing that the odds were being pushed against them and they needed a way to fight back.

It was then that an idea came to him.

Though it might cause them to lose the weapons, they could still prevent them from being used in the future as he whispered into the comms. "Quickshot, get Fury to punch a hole into the floor."

Confused by the command, Quickshot had to ask. "Are you crazy? If he does that, this place will flood."

"Trust me." She then heard Cobalt Warrior say as he gave a small smile. "I know what I'm doing."

While Quickshot thought such actions were still reckless and dangerous, knowing Cobalt Warrior's intelligence had never steered her wrong in the past, the auburn haired heroine nodded in reply, before focusing her attention back on Fighting Fury, drawing his attention with a few warning shots. "Hey! You want me, then come and get me!"

As if acting like the old Fighting Fury and falling for the taunt, the brunette shook off Azumi, Starlight and Shadow Walker from his being, leapt into the air, his fist was brimming with energy as he shot down and aimed for Quickshot's head.

However, at the last moment, the heroine quickly moved out of the way, causing Fury's fist to slam into the steel floor, creating a massive hole as the sea water erupted from the opening, quickly covering Fighting Fury, who began to cough from the water as it entered his system and flushed the pollen out.

"What the hell...?!" Fury yelled as he fell back, before blinking his eyes as he tried to regain his sense of awareness, confused as to the position he was now in, recalling Planteur Fonce trapping him in her vines before finding the rest a haze.

Meanwhile, as the water rushed into the small compartment, Blaze turned just in time for his eyes to widen as a small wall of water slammed into him, causing him to cry out as he was slammed against the wall, his flames dying down, before looking up just in time to see a pair of fist slam into what parts of his face were showing knocking him out in the process.

Seeing Blaze knocked out and Fury freed of Fonce's mind control, as well as the rushing water filling the hold, Deathstrike turned to his comrade and said. "Leave the weapons and let's get out of here."

"How do you expect us to do that?!" Planteur Fonce asked in annoyance as she pointed to the doorway out now underwater, leaving the only exit behind the heroes, before Deathstrike just pointed behind him as a dark portal opened up, surprising not only Fonce and Hardshell, but the StarCorps and Azumi as well as he began to walk into the dark void, with the two other Cartel leaders looking at one another, before doing the same, along with the remaining guards, before it closed behind them.

With DeathStrike and the Cartel gone and the ship continuing to fill with water, picking the unconscious form of Blaze up, Cobalt Warrior yelled to the group with great concern for their lives. "We need to leave, now!"

Not arguing, the heroes, heroine and their prisoner quickly exited as the ship, and it's cargo, sank to the bottom of the port, taking the weapons with it.

-A short time later-

Outside, dozens of police vehicles were present as officers led not only the gang leaders they captured into police cars, while a special escort moved Blaze into a special vehicle to hold him, his arms and head now in a special gear that not only contained him, but acted as a coolant system to keep his body temperature, and thus his powers, low.

Nearby, the StarCorps all let out sighs of relief.

Though they didn't get the weapons, and three leaders of the Cartel escaped, they captured their top hitman, several main gang leaders in the city, and made sure the weapons would never be used to harm innocents, so overall it felt like a victory on their end.

While Azumi had already left, asking the StarCorps to give her regards to the Protectors the next time they saw them, all the while, Marcus was feeling terrible for letting his guard down and nearly endangering his team, where as he started to apologize.

"Guys, I'm sorry... I should have..." He began to say, but stopped as Yoshi set her arms around him, holding herself close to his chest.

"It's alright, but you can make it up to me by buying dinner for the next... Month or so." Yoshi said with a smirk as she looked up at Marcus, who smiled down at her.

"It wasn't all that bad. We did take down the heads of several gangs in the city, and captured Blaze." Miki then stated, trying to keep up the positive mood.

"And now we know not only is Deathstrike a part of the Cartel, but that the Dark Legion is working with them. I wouldn't be surprised if starting a gang war was part of the Night Queen's plan to try and keep us distracted while she follows through with her goals." Thomas added in a serious tone, causing the others to sigh as he killed the mood, even though they knew he was right.

But gaining a determined look, Marcus said to the rest of the StarCorps. "We need to stay on our guards. I have a feeling the next few days might turn out to be hectic for us all."

He had no idea how right he was.


	13. Chapter 13

With an overwhelming sense of urgency, the Vigilant quickly made their way to their destination, a warehouse at the edge of the city, after Infiltrator intercepted a communication amongst KnightCorps' security that they were rounding up a large number of individuals for experimentation.

"This makes no sense. Why, after all this time, since we saved those people a while ago, are they kidnapping people again?" Responder asked in concern, feeling as though there was more going on then met the eye.

"I have no clue, but one way or another Knight is going down." Cosmic Knockout said in reply, determined to bring Knight and his lackeys to justice.

"And with our team back and hyped, there's no way we can lose." Frequency added as he flashed a grin to Cosmic Knockout, who smiled back, both feeling more comfortable around the other again.

"Just keep your guards up. This smells like it could be a trap." Razor Wolf then said with a growl, sensing something wasn't right either, earning small and serious nods from his teammates as they continued towards the warehouse.

Eventually, the group saw the building in question, but were slightly confused to see that there were no guards present outside.

"Yeah... something's not right here." Frequency then said as Responder opened the door and the Vigilant entered, becoming even more confused to see that the lights were out.

"This is starting to creep me out." Cosmic Knockout confessed, feeling a growing confusion and worry to the lack of KnightCorps employees and the off set mood to their current situation, to the point she subconsciously moved her hand out and took Frequency's, finding comfort at his hold.

However, at the next moment, much to their shock, the lights flashed on, where the Vigilant saw Black Wyvern, Helix, Jester, Lady Beauty and nearly a dozen security guards around them, all smirking wickedly.

"Ok. This is much more like it." Frequency commented as he scanned the area, not too sure if the position they were now in was better or worse than beforehand.

"Just like moths to flame, you couldn't resist our little trap. There are no hostages, only four new lab rats for us to play with." Helix said with a laugh, while Black Wyvern rolled his eyes and said. "Enough horsing around, let's kill them already."

"Sounds good to me." Lady Beauty said, drawing her weapon as she leapt at Cosmic Knockout and declared. "I'll handle little miss pretty, you three find your own fights."

Wasting no time, Lady Beauty showed her hostility toward the pink haired heroine, her sword drawn as she tried to pierce it through the heroine's body, but found Cosmic Knockout was in full swing as she ducked under the initial slash attack, before trying to counterattack with a powerful right hook.

"This time, you won't get away, and we'll make sure everyone knows the evil you've done!" Cosmic Knockout declared as she tried to hit her opponent, who did her best to dodge as she growled in anger.

"Better to be evil and beautiful, than to be a brat like you." Lady Beauty spat back, picking up the pace in her swings and forcing Cosmic Knockout to move all around as to avoid Lady Beauty's blade cutting her down.

As the heroine and the villainess were locked in their fight, while Frequency wanted to help, having his arms drawn out and ready to release a sonic blast at Lady Beauty, Jester jumped down right before him, blocking his path and causing the sound based hero to back up a little.

"Don't you know it's rude to hit a lady?" Jester asked with a small giggle, bringing down his arms, where a set of daggers rolled down his sleeves and into his hands, before he began to try his hand at eliminating Frequency.

"I suppose it's also rude to try and kill someone without asking, but why start now?" The maniac then let out with a crazed chuckle as he continued his attack on Frequency, continuing to change up his speed and movements as to throw off the blond, making it harder for the sound based hero to anticipate Jester's precise moves.

While Cosmic Knockout and Frequency had been forced into their fights with their respective foes, Razor Wolf chose his opponent, where he gave off a snarl as he made chase after Helix.

"I don't care if they have to carry you out of here, piece by piece. One way or another, you're going down." Razor Wolf snarled as he rushed at Helix, who dodged his opponent's claws and blades as he extended his needle-like weapons from his hands.

"I think not. I have tons of experiments left to perform." Helix said back, keeping his needles drawn as he asked with a continued chilling voice. "Now why don't you be a good boy and play dead?"

The mad scientist and his former experiment continued to trade blows with one another, while above them, both Responder and Black Wyvern had taken to the air, with the mercenary using his missiles to try and take the tech hero out, while Responder retaliated with blasts of blue energy that that collided with the tech villain's shield.

"Not bad." Black Wyvern confessed as he deactivated his shield, only to then say. "But thanks to the Boss, my suit's gotten an upgrade to deal with you and your pain in the neck buddies."

"Plus, now that I noticed it more, If I didn't know better, though, I'd say you're mimicking V-Force with your suit and fighting style." The merc then mocked, but Responder didn't respond and just continued to look for weaknesses in his opponent's suit.

There was no need for Haru to let his enemy know that V-Force was his idol as a hero, just like Davis was someone he looked up to as a person, leaving Responder to focus on taking down Black Wyvern, knowing that if V-Force was in his position, he would stop at nothing to take down his foe.

Meanwhile, as the fighting raged on in the warehouse, none of the Vigilant noticed the silver haired young man in the suit watching the entire battle from the rafters above, where a calm but smug smirk appeared on his face as he looked between the members of the Vigilant.

"Now then, which one... Which one?" Knight asked himself as he looked at each of the Vigilant, before his eyes landed on Cosmic Knockout, taking in not only her fighting style and strength, but from what he could see of her beauty, causing him to smirk wickedly.

"Yes, you'll do very nicely." Knight said as his eyes began to glow red as he added with a continued dark smirk graced his face."Beauty, brains and brawn, they will serve me well."

At the next moment, just before her fist was about to slam into Lady Beauty's mask, freaking her out at the thought of her gaining a blackeye or a bruise, Cosmic Knockout suddenly stopped, causing her opponent to smirk, while the other Vigilant looked on at her with confusion.

"Cosmic, what's wrong?" Responder called in worry as he saw the female member of his team relax and look as though she moved to stand at attention.

"Hey, what are you...?" Razor Wolf started to ask before, much to his shock and that of the others, Cosmic quickly turned and rushed at him, ready to deliver a powerful punch to the cybernetically enhanced wolfman's face, where they all noticed the now blank look and distant eyes their teammate now had on her face.

While Razor Wolf found himself holding back, unable to harm another member of the Vigilant, within her current state of mind, the pink haired heroine showed she didn't share the same thoughts, let alone any, as she continued to attack, horrifying Responder and Frequency, while Lady Beauty and the others siding with Knight moved back to enjoy the conflict.

"Now this is much better." Lady Beauty commented at the sight of the pink haired heroine fighting against her team, before adding with a continued shallowness. "But as much as I enjoy this improved Cosmic, there can only be one leading lady on our team."

"Wait. Did Helix build himself a girlfriend?" Jester teased, which only caused Lady Beauty and Helix to glare at the insane clown, causing him to run his fingers along his mask's lips, mimicking silence.

"Cosmic, stop! You're...!" Frequency yelled as he rushed to help his teammates, only for the pink haired heroine to quickly turn and deliver a swift kick to the blond's chest, sending him flying back several feet, before leaping into the air to deliver a punch to Responder, who quickly moved out of the way.

Running his hand along his mask in the opposite direction, Jester then let out with a continued enjoyment at the suffering and conflict before them. "This is better than cable. Did anybody bring popcorn?"

"What's... wrong with her..?." Frequency asked through his pain as he slowly got up, where Responder, who was analysing the situation through his helmet, quickly let out in shock. "I can see a telepathic signal cutting between Cosmic's brainwaves."

"Something or someone's controlling her!" Responder then informed, shocking Razor Wolf and Frequency, only the blond felt a sinking feeling in his gut to know the girl he cared for was being manipulated like a puppet.

"We need to get out of here and regroup, now!" Responder then called as the security guards began to try and fire at them as he added. "As much as I hate to say it, we're no match against Knight's troops and Cosmic."

However, while he stood in place, his fists trembling, Frequency lost his cool as he and let out. "No! I refuse to abandon her, that's not the way I roll!"

"I... I know Cosmic wouldn't abandon me... I can't... I won't..." He then began to yell, to the point he was near tearing up behind his visor, before giving out a great cry of anger as Razor Wolf quickly grabbed him, hoisting his damaged being over his shoulder and ran out behind Responder, leaving Frequency yelling to let him go.

All the while, Knight smirked at the scene, already planning his next move as he looked upon Cosmic Knockout and smiled as she froze up and stood at attention, awaiting her next commands.

-Moments later-

Not too far away, landing in an alleyway between some buildings near the warehouse, Razor Wolf put Frequency done, only to quickly grab the boy as he tried to run back towards the warehouse, where he turned and glared at him and Responder.

"Why!? Why did you abandon her? I told you I didn't want to leave her, so why...?" Frequency let out, expressing a great rage and frustration, before he sunk to his knees, hating how powerless he now felt.

"Frequency, calm down, we'll..." Responder tried to say, before the blond cried out and yelled in anger. "Damn you! Damn you and all this secrecy! You knew she was Eri and you kept it from me, what's more, you kept the truth away from her!"

"I don't care about the 'Secrecy' of this team, I won't leave her behind!" Frequency added as he remained in his angered state, standing and was about to run back to the warehouse, not caring if he had to face all of KnightCorps and Eri on his own, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking to see it was Responder's, where he turned to yell at the tech hero more, only for his eyes to widen to see his helmet off.

"I know, Tora. We're not abandoning Eri, we just need to figure out a plan." Haru said with a caring sincerity in his voice, as both Tora and Yujin were shocked to see the normally quite green haired boy from their school as their leader, the sight causing Yujin to let out with astonishment. "Haru?"

"Yeah, Yujin, it's me. Sorry I never said anything. I thought it would be easier if anything would happen to one of us, the others would be safe. I realize I was wrong about that." Haru said to his best friend, expressing a small smile, before looking back at Tora.

"And Tora, we're not leaving Eri behind." Haru then added with a continued understanding towards the blond's emotional state, where Tora felt his anger die down a little.

"If you are all done with the mushy stuff, I think I know how to help out." Infiltrator then cut in through their comms system, annoyed that the Vigilant broke protocol, but was willing to let it slide due to the circumstances as he added. "Haru, I think your suit can make this."

Haru then put his helmet back on and saw the information Infiltrator sent him, where he held out his left hand as energy began to flow towards it and it began to construct a small device in his hands, the key to saving Eri.

-Moments later-

Sending his followers and most of the guards back to KnightCorps' HQ, Knight remained in the warehouse as he stood before Eri, having taken her visor off as gently caressing her cheek, where she remained standing mindlessly at attention before him, allowing Knight to take in the sight of her now empty blue eyes.

"I have lots of plans for you, if you survive the night, my beauty." Knight commented as he slid his hand off of Eri's cheek and began to circle around the pink haired girl. "Such a woman isn't suited for combat, she is more suited to a more subservient role in lifestyle, at least in the world that will arise after tonight."

"Now then, I sense your former friends are coming back for you. When they do, you will kill them, then come to me when you are done. We all have a long night ahead of us, and a new world order to follow." Knight said with a dark smirk, where Eri replied with a mindless. "Yes, Sir... as you command... I will obey..."

With the orders set in her head, Eri then put her visor on as she turned and faced the entrance, while Knight and his guards left, the corrupt CEO laughing quickly the whole time.

A moment later, Responder, Razor Wolf and Frequency came in to see only Cosmic Knockout standing in the warehouse, where the mind controlled heroine took a fighting stance, ready to strike at her former allies.

The sight of the pink haired heroine standing in place caused Frequency to bite his lower lip, wanting to rush down to the girl he cared so much for, but trusting Responder, the sound based hero remained in place and in silence, knowing when the time came, Eri would be saved.

"Why did they just leave her?" Razor Wolf asked in concern, where Responder replied. "Knight is toying with us. He wants to use Cosmic against us because he thinks we won't fight her."

"But why now? Why go through all this now?" The wolf hero then asked, where Responder then realized why and let out with a fair worry in his tone. "Whatever he's planning, it must be tonight and this is a distraction! We need to save Cosmic, quickly!"

"On it!" Frequency said back, where he slowly walked up to Cosmic Knockout, his presence causing the brainwashed heroine to bring up her arms and her fists, looking ready to attack at any second.

"Eri, if you can hear me, I don't want to fight you." Frequency stated, only to then bring up his arms, charging both with sonic energy as he added with a small smile. "But I know you would do the same for me, so apologies in advance."

Finished in what he had to say, Frequency then gave a mighty yell as he ran toward Cosmic Knockout, concentrating the sonic energies to form around his fists, before closing the distance and took a swing at the pink haired heroine, managing to strike Cosmic Knockout with his right fist and knock her back, but found the manipulated heroine had brought up her arms, crossing them along her chest to absorb most of the damage, leaving her skidding back a little, before lowering her arms and moving back into her attack stance.

Cosmic then quickly turned to deliver a punch as Razor Wolf came at her from the side, only to jump back as Responder came down to strike at her with his energy blade.

"Man, Cosmic, you are putting up one serious fight." Frequency commented, continuing to express his more upbeat side as he joked. "Remind me not to get you angry after this is all over."

Unsure if she was ignoring him or unable to reply due to the mind control, Cosmic Knockout kept an expressionless face as she continued to fight, where she ducked under a slash attack from Razor Wolf, before grabbing at his upper body and threw him at Responder, catching the tech hero off guard and causing both to fall and crash hard into the wall of the warehouse.

"I will kill my friend..." Cosmic Knockout said, her tone lacking any emotion as she charged toward the fallen forms of Responder and Razor Wolf, ready to end them without a second of hesitation.

But as she rushed toward the fallen heroes, Responder yelled out. "Frequency, now!"

Before Cosmic Knockout could react, she stopped in her tracks as she was restrained, feeling Frequency was behind her and had an arm wrapped tightly around her body, groaning as he refused to break his grasp over the struggling heroine.

"Eri!" Frequency yelled, acting on his gut as he set his arm around her tighter, knowing she could break free and then break him, but he refused to abandon the girl he loved again.

"Eri, I know you are still in there. I know that the real you would never allow some creep like Knight to control you. I know the Eri I fell in love with is still there." The blond said, not as Frequency, but as Tora.

And despite the powerful hold over her, something within Cosmic seemed to react to the voice behind her, causing the mind controlled heroine to slowly turn her head and let out with a small confusion within her voice. "T... Tora..."

Unsure what the exact outcome would be, but certain Cosmic Knockout would rather anything than to be stuck as a mindless puppet, looking in his left hand, Frequency looked upon the metallic, square microchip device in hand.

"Here we go!" Frequency let out as he slapped the chip onto the back of the pink haired heroine's neck as it powered on and activated, causing Cosmic Knockout's eyes to widen, before she continued thrashing against Frequency's grasp, only now she was expressing a great cry of pain.

Shaking the sound based hero off of her, Cosmic Knockout then gripped her head tightly, her screams intensifying, before her arms lowered, she fell silent and she dropped to her knees, leaving her panting heavily.

And before she could fall completely, Frequency caught her, where he guided her down and into his lap, holding her closely and smiling at seeing the life returning back in her eyes.

"Eri, how are you feeling?" Frequency asked as he kept his arms around Cosmic, loosening his hold a little to allow the pink haired girl to move on her own, but found the pink haired girl then move in, wrapping her arms tightly around Frequency's neck, surprising Frequency at first, but at all she had been through, the blond did what he could to comfort her as he slowly set his own arms around her.

"Tora, I... I'm so sorry..." The pink haired heroine teared up, knowing that though she was brainwashed during the attack, she was still aware of her actions, leaving her in a self loathing state.

But feeling Tora slide his left hand behind her head, removing her visor and setting it on the ground beside them, Eri's solemn mood began to lift as she saw the gentle and caring smile Tora would often express.

"It's alright, Eri. We know it wasn't your fault." Frequency assured, before removing his own visor, allowing Eri to not only see Tora's shining green eyes, but also gave her a Frequency-like grin.

"Besides, how could I ever stay mad at the girl I love?" He asked, leaving Eri blushing deeply at the position she was in, as well as hearing the four letter word from Tora's own lips, a sight Responder and Razor Wolf noticed as they approached the pair, not only glad to have Cosmic Knockout back to normal, but both were glad to see the two expressing such feelings they had been hiding for a long time.

Meanwhile, within his limo, Knight frowned as he felt his hold over Cosmic Knockout disappear, where he took out his phone, dialed a number and said into it. "Yes, double security tonight. We're going to have company."

-Moments later-

"Wait, you're saying it was Knight himself that was controlling you?!" Haru asked in shock, the question causing Eri to nod in reply, finding that though she had control over herself and could walk, staying in Tora's embrace felt more comforting at the time.

"So he's a psionic, great." Yujin, who was still in wolf form, growled, not understanding how the silver haired individual gained so much power and influence.

"That explains what I found..." Infiltrator then said on the comms as the vigilant listened, where he added in concern. "The Towers, they aren't for communication, they're Psionic Amplifiers, and all linked to a central control at KnightCorps' headquarters!"

The young heroes' eyes widened as this, where Haru realized Knight's plan as he said. "If those towers come online, then Knight will be able to control everyone in Odaiba!"

"He's planning to enslave us all?" Tora let out with a matching shock, before stating with some of his Frequency confidence/persona. "So Not Groovy!"

"You need to get to KnightCorps and stop Knight, now! These devices you made should protect you from the effects of his mind control for a while, but you need to shut him down!" Infiltrator said in urgency.

"Trust me. It's no picnic having that slime inside your head." Eri said, shivering a little as she could still recall Knight's hypnotic tone in her mind, causing her to pick up her visor and set it back on, getting back to her Cosmic Knockout persona and slamming her fist into her left palm, wanting payback for what Knight had done and what he was up to.

"We're going to need help." Haru then added, knowing that the four of them weren't enough, where Infiltrator said in reply. "Leave that to me, just get going, now!"

Looking at each other and nodding, the Vigilant rushed towards KnightCorps' tower, ready for what could be their final battle.

Meanwhile, within the Protectors' base, as the team of heroes met in their lounge area and talked, while StarCorps sat in a debriefing room with the commissioner, all their screens turned on, showing the hooded vigilante, where Rei said to them all, expressing a great seriousness. "I know none of you trust me, but you need to listen. Time is short, and if we fail, all of Odaiba will be lost!"


	14. Chapter 14

Standing on the roof of KnightCorps' tower, Knight held a satisfied smile on his face, while in his hands, he held a white helmet, which was set with a black visor that spread both horizontally and diagonally, forming a cross-like pattern, while a set of small points stuck out from the sides of the helmet, the final item needed in order to bring Knight's plan into fruition.

"Now everyone in Odaiba will serve me." Knight declared as he set the helmet upon his head, keeping up the dark smile as his face was covered by the helmet, before spreading his arms out and breaking into laughter.

The next moment, four electric pole-like antennas came out of the four corners of the roof, before shooting red beams at Knight, where his body began to glow with a red aura, causing his laughter to continue.

All around the city, meanwhile, the Towers began to also glow with the same aura, a humming sound filling the air, before each let out a powerful burst of red energy that spread all across Odaiba.

Sensing trouble from her throne room, Kari quickly stood, confusing her followers, before she slammed her staff into the ground, causing a powerful barrier to surround her dark fortress before the blast hit, causing the Night Queen to groan at the power being pushed against her magic.

"Damn you, Knight!" Kari said in anger as it took all her focus to keep the psionic attack back, while Ken quickly went to work trying to find a way to block the attack and protect her fellow legionaries.

Laughing wickedly, from his vantage point, Knight felt a sense of pride that came with his plan, sensing all the minds now under his control, mindless pawns to help build his future empire, all the civilians, all the power, all the...

However, Knight's eyes then widened in shock as he realized he couldn't sense any of the police under his control, seeing police divisions moving out to surround his tower and hold back the mind controlled civilians,nor any of the heroes like the Protectors or the Vigilant at his command.

'What's going on?!' Knight questioned, continuing to find his confusion and irritance growing at the lack of hold over such forces. 'I designed my Towers to break into the minds of all. How come there are some resisting me?!'

But unable to think too much on it, Knight then looked down from his tower, seeing V-Force, Seraph, Dragonheart and other flying heroes flying towards his towers, while their ground based teammates were helping the StarCorps with those already under his mind control.

"We'll try and take these towers down, you guys help stop the civilians! Remember, don't hurt them, they're being controlled!" V-Force said through his comms, getting affermitives from the rest of the Protectors, while in his mind, seeing the hundreds of civilians below, all with glowing red eyes, he thought with worry. 'Kari... please don't be down there... Please be safe.'

"I'll keep us all coordinated from here, but it's looking bad." Cody said from the safety of the Protectors' base, which Izzy had quickly retrofitted with the psionic blockers Infiltrator had given them from Knight's database, where the young boy did his best to coordinate with the StarCorps and PD on keeping the situation under control.

V-Force nodded, but mentally he was scolding himself.

He let himself become so focused, so obsessed with the Night Queen and the Dark Legion, that he and his team lost sight of the other dangers around them, thinking that this could have been prevented had they paid more attention to Knight's activities.

"We're approaching one of the towers!" Fireguard then informed as he, Zephyr, HiTech and Songbird approached one of the towers, causing Songbird to say, still bitter from her experience with the Night Queen's dark possession. "Let's tear this thing down. I've already had enough headaches when it comes to brainwashing."

The others agreed, before Fireguard unleashed a powerful blast of fire at the tower, HiTech and energy blast from his chest, Zephyr concentrated and threw her hands around, releasing several lines of wind-like energy, with Songbird finishing off with a powerful stream of energy from her hands, where the four attacks collided with the tower.

However, much to their shock, once the smoke cleared, they found the tower undamaged and still pulsating with energy.

"No way!" Zephyr let out, expressing a continued stunned state, before the blonde questioned. "We hit that thing dead on, so why didn't it crumble?"

"That aura is also acting as a shield!" HiTech called out as his sensors picked up the energy readings, before the heroes heard loud screeches before, looking down to see four abominations scaling the Towers and heading right for them.

"Guys, the Towers' are protected, in more ways than one!" Fireguard called out in warning as his team moved out of the way of the fire from the creatures, while all around the other towers, the other heroes fought the tower's guardians, with V-Force clashing his blades with one that leaped at him.

Nearby, the police in riot gear did their best to keep back the mindless horde of brainwashed citizens and Cyberstriker and DarkBlade helped Midnight Raven and Quickshot try and subdue them.

"This isn't working, we need to get to KnightCorps and..." Cyberstriker started to say, before ducking as someone leaped out of the crowd of mindless drones and swung something at him, causing him to duck and move back, before his eyes widened to see Azumi, her eyes glowing red just like the others, looking at him with a blank expression.

"Azumi!?" The tai-chi hero let out, conflict building within him as he said. "Not you too..."

The brainwashed vigilante then moved in to attack, mindlessly swinging her staff and trying to deliver a kick at Cyberstriker, who managed to defend against Azumi's attacks, but found that with her being his opponent, there was something within him that was breaking his focus and allowing the brainwashed girl to get the better of him from time to time.

'Damn it, we need to do something!' DarkBlade thought as she did her best to knock out some of the mind controlled civilians, all the while, looking upon her brother with concern, certain she knew the reason why it was so hard for Cyberstriker to fight back.

-Meanwhile-

With a loud explosion, the doors to the front entrance of KnightCorps were blown open as the Vigilant entered the building, seeing dozens of security guards pointing guns at them.

"They don't look like they're being mind controlled." Frequency commented/stated/pointed out as he looked at the guards.

"They must be wearing the same psionic blockers as we are, we did get them from KnightCorps after all." Responder said in reply, just as the four got ready to fight as the guards prepared to fire.

However, much to their surprise, the group saw an orange flash rush by them, knocking out several guards, before turning to see Fighting Fury, Cobalt Warrior and Red Nova coming in behind them, realizing it was Thunderstrike they saw go by them.

"We'll handle these guys, get up there and kick that rich asshole's ass!" Fighting Fury said with a smirk as he and the other heroes moved in to take on the guards.

"You can count on us." Razor Wolf said in reply, before rushing down the hall, alongside his allies, all determined to put an end to Knight once and for all.

Upon reaching the elevators, however, the four stopped to see three familiar figures waiting for them, where Helix, Jester and Lady Beauty all smirked wickedly.

"Where has that imbecile Black Wyvern gone off to now? He was paid to help us take down these insects, so why isn't he here?" Lady Beauty then asked as she looked around, expressing a growing annoyance, before Helix cut in.

"Nevermind him, we are to finish these insects once and for all while our Master completes his ascension." He declared, drawing out his syringes, which caused Lady Beauty and Jester to draw their own respective weapons.

And while the Vigilant all prepared to fight, standing before Responder, Razor Wolf said. "We'll handle Knight's underlings, you focus on the main target."

"No. I won't be able to handle him alone, we need to work together." Responder said back as he moved in front, refusing to leave his friends behind, wanting them all present when Knight was taken down, before preparing to fight and take Knight's minions out as quickly as possible.

"If you insist." Cosmic Knockout then said, giving a grin as she added. 'Besides, I was hoping to knock Knight's light out myself."

"You will never get the chance, now die!" Helix yelled as he, Jester and Lady Beauty rushed at the Vigilant, ready to finish them off once and for all.

As the trio charged forward, each selecting their previous combatant as their opponent, Responder and the others sprung into action, knowing their time was closing in and that they had to stop all of Knight's forces before they too lost their minds to his influence.

While Lady Beauty brought down her blade with a swift and powerful swing directed at Cosmic Knockout's head, Jester threw an array of daggers at Frequency, while Helix found his wrists restrained by Razor Wolf's hands, but from his angle, he began to lower his needles down and closer to his creation's face.

But showing both their Determination and their refusal to allow Knight to win, Frequency shocked Jester as he brought his arms up, projecting a wall of sonic energy, diverting most of the daggers, with some cutting through his costume, before tackling Jester and slamming him into the wall, leaving the insane clown to slide down and slump to his butt.

And before Jester could get back up, Frequency continued to show his speed and determination, picking up the daggers that now lay around him and threw them back at Jester, missing his skin, but piercing through his costume's arms and legs.

"This isn't funny!" He yelled, thrashing against the makeshift restrains, only to find Frequency continued to ignore him as he grabbed another dagger and threw it toward Cosmic Knockout and Lady Beauty, which the masked villainess saw from the left of her perception, forcing her to draw back her blade and quickly duck out of the way, before realizing too late that it was a distraction as a familiar gauntlet fist came flying right at her face.

A millisecond later, said fist slammed in Lady Beauty's helmet, the impact so great that the villainess was sent flying back, crashing right through the wall, where she lay in the debris groaning a little before she fell unconscious, leaving her helmet broken and revealing her true face as she lay amongst the rubble.

Meanwhile, as Helix's needles inched closer and closer to Razor's face, the mad scientist was then interrupted as a powerful blast of blue energy slammed into his side, sending him flying back several feet, where he gripped his side in pain as he looked to see Responder standing with Razor Wolf.

"Seems that unlike you, my teammates actually care about me." Razor Wolf said with a smile, causing Responder to nod in reply, while smiling behind his helmet, before both rushed at Helix, each avoiding enraged swings from the doctor's needle-like hands and striking back as both managed to get an opening, both reeling back their fists and delivering a shared blow, not only knocking the mad doctor down to the floor, but their combined strength, they watched as Helix's helmet cracked open and fell to the floor, revealing his horrid appearance, seeing most of his face held together with stitches, with some of his skin decaying and looking as though it would fall off at any given second.

Though the lack of eyeballs, eyelids and even eye sockets was what distrubed the duo the most, leaving Responder wondering for a moment how the villain could see, but realized he must have experimented on himself for that.

"Sweet moves, Cosmic." Frequency commented at the sight of Lady Beauty remaining in her defeated state, causing the pink haired heroine to look beyond her teammate and at Jester, who had given up on escaping, accepting that the joke was over.

"So Groovy!" Cosmic let out in reply, setting her thumbs, index and pinkies out as she crossed her arms, posing exactly like Frequency, which made him grin, feeling the bond he held with his teammate was stronger than ever.

But with Knight continuing to conquer the minds of Odaiba, the four rushed into the elevator, finding Infiltrator had hacked into the systems to allow them to the top floor, where Responder said in a serious voice. "This isn't over yet, guys. Come on."

Upon reaching the roof, the Vigilant exited the elevator, feeling even the air around them different as the whole roof glowed in a red aura, before narrowing their eyes as Knight turned to them, his laugh heard through his helmet.

"It's almost fitting, after all the trouble you all have caused me, that you should be here, at the end of it all." The psionic villain said as the red aura around him consumed him, taking a new form and growing, much to the four heroes' surprise, before solidifying into a new form.

Losing the suit he was wearing, Knight was now cast in pale white armour that covered his entire being, with even the helmet altering and changing, losing the points on the sides and being replaced with two thick golden strands that ran up the side of his head.

Gold trimmings were now set throughout the armour, which included around the shoulders, waist, wrists and kneecaps, while a matching cape flowed down the back of the new Knight.

And seeing that with this change to his form that Knight had grown in size, what astonished Responder and the others the most was that past the set of golden spikes that protruded from the armour's shoulders were two thick lines of spread out metal, resembling massive wings, where a great psionic energy flowed out of them.

"**Now, Vigilant... die. Die and let your ends pave the way to my new world order!**" Knight called with a superior voice as he levitated from off the ground, ready to crush the Vigilant's wills or their bodies, whichever would break first.


	15. Chapter 15

Despite them still having the advantage in numbers, it remaining four on one, with his new form, Responder and the others could sense and even see the immense power that night now wielded, seeing Knight's being continue to emanate with a psionic red energy.

"**Before I destroy you, I will give you some mercy.**" Knight said as he held his hand out. "**Join me. Agree to surrender and serve me and you will be spared, if not, you will face my wrath.**"

"I think you know our answer already, Knight." Responder said as he and the other Vigilant prepared to fight, causing the corrupt CEO to chuckle darkly.

"**I offered you a chance to witness the new world, one led by my brilliance, but you spat in my hand.**" Knight said with a continued superiority in his voice.

"**Sad, and I had such high hopes for you, my dear Eri.**" Knight then said, triggering both Cosmic and Frequency as they moved to attack Knight, with Cosmic jumping into the air, ready to slam her fist against Knight's face, followed by Frequency casting out a series of small discs from his gauntlets, with both wanting to pay Knight back for his little trick to turn Eri against them.

However, much to their surprise, both Cosmic Knockout's fist and Frequency's attacks collided with a red energy barrier around Knight's form, causing Cosmic to jump back, before looking in shock as several red energy orbs, each looking like eyes, appeared around the villain's being.

"**I am beyond any of you!**" Knight yelled as the orbs fired blasts of red energy, hitting both Cosmic Knockout and Frequency as they were sent flying back, both crying out in pain as their outfits were greatly torn and their visors cracked, leaving the pair on the ground and groaning, not only feeling a great physical pain, but also a mental one, as if the Knight's power had actually attacked their minds.

Letting out a feral growl at the sight of his allies in their agonized states, Razor Wolf then charged at Knight, Responder alongside him with his energy blades out, ready to take the villain on, before their eyes widened to see Knight bring his right hand out, red energy forming in it, before a large, white metal sword appeared in his hand, which he used to quickly block the pair's attacks.

"**Insects, all of you!**" Knight let out with a continued rage as, with little effort, he pushed both Responder and Razor Wolf back, where they too came to witness the same pain Cosmic Knockout and Frequency felt, leaving both down and damaged.

However, not giving up, the Vigilant got up and resumed their fight, knowing that they could not fail as they tried to land a blow on Knight, while doing their best to dodge his attacks, using their combined speed and teamwork to try and land a combo hit on the villain, but found his personal barrier to be too strong.

All their attacks were doing was pissing Knight off.

"**Enough!**" Knight let out in rage as he brought his arms together, gathering energy in them, before unleashing a powerful blast of energy, sending the four Vigilant flying back in pain.

When the light faded, Knight saw the Vigilant on the ground, with Razor Wolf reverted back to his human form, while Responder's helmet was broken in pieces before him, leaving Knight watching as the four heroes tried to get up, all the while, red aura starting to form around them, which earned a small scoff from the psionic villain.

Below, as the police and heroes tried to keep the mind controlled civilians back, each one started to hear whispers in their minds, the sign that Knight's power starting to grow stronger as they tried to ignore it.

"**Do you not see? These pitiful people, these misguided individuals who cannot control themselves, that crave for someone to guide them, to rule over them? Only I can guide them, bring the peace they so desperately yearn for. Only I am meant to rule over them!**" Knight said as he outstretched his arms, feeling his power growing, and knowing that soon, not even the blockers would keep him out of the minds of all in the city.

However, much to the arch villain's shock, Knight felt another presence, one that was growing, and challenging his own, causing him to look down, where his eyes widened in surprise to see Responder getting up, a blue aura now forming around the green haired boy, one that spread and surrounded his teammates as they slowly got up as well, causing Knight to demand with a tone of disbelief and shock. "**What is this?**"

At one of the other towers the Protectors couldn't get to, the four abomination guards were on the ground, cybernetic cables being retracted from their bodies and to their owner in a black hoodie as Infiltrator put the cables back into the tower.

Though the hacker couldn't turn the Tower off, another idea came to mind, having another hooked up to the psionic network like Knight was, someone whose own will could match and defeat the megalomaniac's, and he could think of no one better than Haru.

"You have always toyed with others... You break them, steal from them, take advantage of them! And now you are trying to take over their very lives, trying to destroy everything just because of your ego. I will not forgive that!" Responder yelled as his aura grew, expressing and giving off a great power, one that Knight actually began to fear.

Down below, meanwhile, all the mind controlled civilians stopped suddenly, even Cyberstriker let out a sigh of relief as Azumi's staff stopped inches from striking his head, where he looked up to see her eyes now glowing blue instead of red.

"Give... give us our lives back..." Azumi said in a distant voice as others amongst the mind controlled hordes began to whisper similar things, expressing their rebellion against Knight.

And though they were not being controlled, the police, StarCorps and Protectors could all feel it, a powerful will to protect the future, a drive to protect those in danger and stop those who would deny them such a dream.

All the while, amongst those being controlled, a lone, short blonde haired girl whispered lightly. "Haru..."

Back at the top of the KnightCorps tower, feeling the ratio of those at his command drastically decreasing, Knight felt a great dread fill him.

"**This is impossible!**" He yelled as he gathered energy into his hand, clenching his fist as he charged at Responder, who remained with a determined look on his face, before dodging the attack with ease.

"As you can see, we don't need someone to guide us, we need monsters like you locked away, unable to harm us. You had the technology to shape this world for the better, for others, but you used it for your own selfish gains." Responder said as he quickly brought up his left hand into a fist, slamming it into the side of Knight's head, shocking him greatly as the attack went through his barrier and hit the side of his face, causing him to be pushed back a few feet, while his eyes widened to see his armour cracking.

"That's telling him, Responder!" Frequency let out, feeling his strength returning, as did Cosmic Knockout and Razor Wolf, where the heroes then rose back up, before the blond helped Cosmic to her feet, leaving the three glaring at Knight and what he had become.

"**This can't be happening! This is impossible!**" Knight yelled, raising his arms and gathering all his power to take the Vigilant down once and for all.

However, before he could even blink, Knight saw all four Vigilant had jumped in the air together, their arms glowing with the blue psionic energy, gathering strength from not just each other, but everyone in the city wishing to be free of Knight once and for all.

"This ends now!" All four Vigilant declared together as they slammed their fists into Knight's face, forcing him to the ground as the area around him exploded in a blast of blue energy, looking like a pillar of blue light coming out of the top of KnightCorps.

As this was happening, all the towers around the city, which were now glowing blue, began to surge with energy, the feedback from Haru's connection overloading their systems as the constructs all exploded at the same time, where all over the city, people collapsed as their minds were freed from the mind control, the light over KnightCorps dying down.

Acting quickly, Cyberstriker caught Azumi as she collapsed, where she opened her tired eyes and commented cheekily. "Not exactly how I was expected to end up in your arms..."

The tai-chi hero could only blush at Azumi's comment, while the police went to work helping the civilians out, glad to see the control over Odaiba seemed to come to a halt.

Back on top of KnightCorps, the Vigilant stood over a crater as Knight, now back in his suit, which was torn in places, and his helmet broken, looked up at the heroes and said through his pain. "Damn you... damn you all...! I could've made a paradise, but you...!"

"It's over, Knight." Haru said with a smirk, where the white haired maniac then cut in and bellowed. "I know who you all are... And I'll make sure everyone else does too..."

"Go right ahead and let them know." Haru replied, confusing his friends, before the green haired boy added. "Let the world know a couple of high schoolers kicked your ass. I'm sure the media would love to hear all about that."

From Haru's words and knowing it wasn't a bluff, while also knowing such publicity could ruin him forever, Knight grit his teeth, especially as he heard sirens coming from below the building, causing Haru to nod to his teammates as they they left, feeling a sense of accomplishment after a very long time.

At the next moment, Fighting Fury and Cobalt Warrior came in with a few officers as they surrounded Knight, where the blond hero then said with a smirk. "Knight Unryuuji, you are under arrest."

Knight couldn't hold back his anger anymore as he let out a cry of rage, one heard for over a mile away, where the Vigilant landed on a rooftop a few streets away to relax for a moment and let it sink in.

They had won, they had finally stopped Knight for good.

The group sat for a moment, before sensing someone coming before looking up to see V-Force and the other flying members of the Protectors above them, while the other members landed on the rooftop with them.

Though surprised to see the top heroes before them, the Vigilant then widened their eyes as they realized their outfits were ruined and most people could see their faces.

"Haru Shinkai." V-Force said with some surprise as he landed before the Vigilant, shocking them even further that V-Force knew who Haru was, where the hero brought his hand up to tell them it was alright and that he had no ill intentions, before he then reached up and took his helmet off, surprising all four to see V-Force's real face.

"Davis?!" All four yelled in surprise, causing Davis to smile and say with pride. "We all owe you guys a debt. You guys saw what was going on with KnightCorps while we were too focused on other issues. If it hadn't been for you guys, things could have ended badly. But I know if the Protectors ever need outside help, the Vigilant will have our backs."

"Good, and I'll be there if they need me." Everyone then heard Infiltrator say through all their comms, causing HiTech to have a mini freak out as to how he got into their systems again, before the hacker then said. "While I was hacked into the tower, I had access to Knight's personal files, which have been passed onto the police. Along with the events of tonight, KnightCorps is finished."

"Thank you, Infiltrator." Haru said with a smile, before Davis, being the type to always see the good in people, then began to say. "You know, Infiltrator, you don't need to remain in the shadows and..."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass. You hero types follow too many rules." Infiltrator said in reply, before a small chuckle was heard on his end. "Besides, someone needs to stay in the shadows to help you find the problems before they grow."

"How did you find out about Knight's plans?" HiTech then asked with a growing curiosity, where Infiltrator replied. "That's my secret."

"Haru, I believe our debts are paid now, I wish you and the other Vigilant luck until the next time our paths cross. Take care." The hacker said as he closed the comm, giving the heroes a moment to think on what they heard, before Davis took out another communicator and handed it to Haru.

"Here, in case you ever need us, or we ever need you. Now get some rest, you all deserve it." Davis said with a smile as he put his helmet back on, where the Protectors then left to help clean up the damage brought on the city.

All the while, the Vigilant looked at one another and smiled, happy that their fight was over.

After closing his chat with the heroes, on his end, Infiltrator opened another chat link, where he said. "Thank you again for your assistance."

"Yeah, yeah, now where's my money?" Kouki asked from his end, standing outside his suit in a warehouse at the edge of the city.

He might work for money, but even Black Wyvern had his standards, and psycho megalomaniacs with mind control were not on his list, so betraying Knight was no issue for him.

"You'll find money transfered from Knight's hidden accounts to your own, enjoy." Infiltrator said, where Kouki moved his phone to see the transfer and the amount, his eyes widening as he said with glee. "Heck yeah, I could start my own merc outfit with this much money!"

"But first I'm going to be smart and get the heck out of this city." The merc then said as he got back in his suit and vowed never to return to Odaiba again... Unless the price was right, that is.

-Meanwhile-

From the throne room of the Dark Fortress, the Dark Legion watched as Knight's followers were being placed into police cars, while Airu and Nanami were both laughing as Lady Beauty struggled and yelled at the cops for ruining her 'perfect' looks, before the group watched with a smirk to see Knight being lead into a police car as well.

"That's one less pain in our backs." Ken said with a smirk, while on her throne, Kari smirked as well, now seeing one less obstacle in her plans, while thinking bitterly. 'If Knight had gotten into Davis' head, I would have personally ripped his off.'

-The next day-

Out in the fields, Eri and some of the other cheerleaders were practicing their routine for the next game, the pink haired girl smiling as they got it right after a few tries.

"Great work, girls." Eri said with a smile, breaking from her pose as she set her pom poms down to grab at her drink bottle, allowing the cool contents to pour down her throat, before setting her drink aside when she noticed the bouquet of flowers beside her.

Turning her head, Eri smiled, not only to see Tora standing beside her, holding out the small gift, but at seeing him smiling at her, expressing such confidence in himself, which she found endearing.

But as pleasant as the moment was, Eri felt some frustration when the other girls cut in.

"What do you think you are doing here, shrimp?" One of the girls asked, staring down Tora, before the second added with an equally harshness in her voice. "Don't you know a girl like Eri is way out of your league?"

About to continue to talk down the blond, a small smile appeared on his face when he saw Eri set her hands on their shoulders, dragging the duo off for a private conversation.

"Ok, there's going to be a few new rules from now on. First off, I choose who I talk to. Second, you will be nicer to Tora. And third, if you see me with Tora, you won't bother us, that is unless you want to get on my bad side." The pink haired girl said with a sweet smile the whole time she spoke, sending chills down the cheerleaders' spines and causing both to nod nervously, too afraid of this side of Eri to speak.

"That's better." Eri then said, keeping her smile as she headed on back to Tora, where he held his arm out and she set hers' around it, before resting her head on his shoulder as they headed off, no longer afraid to hide their feelings or care what the others thought.

"Wow, they make a cute couple." The cheerleaders then heard a familiar voice say, where they turned to see Kari and Davis walking up, with the pair looking at Tora and Eri with encouragement, causing the two cheerleaders to look at one another for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess he's kind of cute." One the girls then said, before the other then added. "Yeah, totally!"

Davis rolled his eyes at this, while Kari smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

Nearby, Haru and Yujin watched Eri and Tora interacting, smiling to see them together finally, before Haru gulped a little as he turned to see Ai walking towards him.

"Haru, can I talk to you for a moment, please?" The blonde then asked.

Blushing at the request, but feeling he couldn't turn her down, Haru gave a shaky nod as he began to follow Ai, finding his blush increasing as she grabbed his hand in her own and guided him around the corner, with Yujin laughing lightly at the whole scene.

With it just being him and the girl he had a crush on, Haru stammered out with a continued nervousness. "So umm... what do you want to talk about?'

"I just wanted to ask what is it like being Responder?" Ai asked with a smile, causing Haru to freak out a moment, before he questioned in a continued shaky voice. "But... what... how did you...?"

Smiling even more, blushing herself, Ai kept hold of his hand as she said in an honest voice. "When you were connected with everyone, I felt the same emotions that I feel when I see you, the same emotions that make you the sweet and caring Haru that I came to love."

Surprised at Ai's words, Haru found himself unable to speak, not only from the rise of his emotions, but at Ai's lips suddenly on his, engaging him in a loving kiss.

And after allowing his feelings for Ai to kick in, as well as taking a page from Eri and Tora, Haru returned the kiss, pulling Ai closer to his body and holding her in his arms, which brought joy to the blonde, so happy to be with what started as her childhood friend and was now her boyfriend.

All the while, Haru knew that if danger ever arose, the Vigilant would be there to save the day.

AN: And that's the end of Knight and KnightCorps, but other evils still lurk about, and the Night Queen is still at large. Tune in and enjoy the rest of this story as it unfolds.


	16. Chapter 16

Two days had passed since the Vigilant defeated Knight and KnightCorps collapsed, the company falling apart after all its criminal activities came to light and the imprisonment of their CEO, while Odaiba slowly healed over the damage the corrupt megalomaniac had caused.

Currently, it was mid-afternoon, and Tai was relaxing in what was in his mind, the best way to relax, relaxing on his couch with Sora in his arms as she leaned in and kissed him, the two lovers enjoying one another's company, with both having made excuses that the other believed about where they were and what had happened to them during Knight's psionic control of the city.

Breaking his focus on the television program they were watching, Tai smiled as he looked upon Sora and told her with a heartfelt tone. "I'm glad you were safe. I don't know how I would react if some maniac was controlling the girl I love like that."

"I felt the same way, Tai." Sora said in reply, expressing the same love on her face as she stared at the brunette, hiding the irony that she was bound to her Mistress' will, before moving herself down and resting her head on Tai's lap, just loving being so close to him and enjoying the occasional moments she didn't have to think about anything revolved around her dark persona.

Like Davis and Kari, Sora had known Tai since they were little, and even back then, she felt a strong connection to him, and always found an excuse to be around him.

Even after Kari 'enlightened' her and elevated her to her right hand, Sora still held her strong feelings for Tai, something Kari used as a way to control the fiery girl, with Sora firmly believing that once Kari's plans had come to fruition, she and Tai would be together forever, that they would have their own place together in her new, dark world.

As Sora continued to relax, Tai smiled and gently caressed Sora's hair, showing his affection for the girl he loved, for Tai had loved Sora from the moment he first met her.

In his eyes, she was beautiful, sweet, smart, caring and brave, and the fact that she loved him back only made him feel even more happy, though when they were younger, there were times he thought he'd lose her to Matt, but his former friend's turn to crime thankfully ended that possibility.

Thinking about the blond brought a frown to Tai face for a moment, having once thought of him as his best friend, but as the years when on, Matt turned down a dark path, causing pain not just for Tai, but to the blond's own family, one of the reasons he was glad TK was with the Protectors, happy to see the young boy walking a different path than his brother.

However, as much as Sora was enjoying her time with Tai, she froze up a little as she heard Kari's dark voice fill her head.

_{Come to me, our next move is about to begin.}_

Hearing the whispers of her Mistress in her mind and unable to disobey, Sora looked at her watch and sat up, acting like she had just looked at the time, and said. "Shoot, I'm going to be late for work. Sorry, Tai, but I need to go."

But before leaving, she engaged him in a quick but loving kiss.

"Alright. Have a good one." Tai said with support, having believed Sora was working as a fashion designer downtown, while she believed he worked as security on the side, and that Davis was doing his work studies with him every once and awhile.

"You too, handsome." Sora said in reply as she smiled and walked out the door, before her face turned serious as she made her way towards her own apartment, which held a gateway to the Dark Fortress.

"Tai..." Sora sighed, before thinking with a small smile. 'I hate keeping this secret from you, but I cannot disobey my Mistress. But I know once V-Force and the Protectors are gone, Kari will allow us to be together for as long as we desire, you'll see...'

-Later-

Dressed in her Night Queen outfit once again, Kari sat on her throne as she saw all her followers kneeling before her, where the arch villainess said. "The time is almost upon us, but there is one obsticle we need to remove to ensure our victory. V-Force must die."

Each member of the Dark Legion smirked at this, now knowing their task would not be distraction or taking out some item of magic, but an assassination, one that would shake all the heroes to their cores.

"What do you have in mind, my Lady?" Dark Hawk asked as she looked up at her Mistress, where behind her mask, Kari's dark smirk grew, having already planned for V-Force's demise.

-A few hours later-

With great urgency, the Protectors made their way towards a power plant at the edge of Odaiba after hearing a report that the Dark Legion was attacking and that the workers were being attacked.

'I don't know why or what the Night Queen wants with some power plant, but whatever the reason, we're going to stop the Dark Legion here and now!' V-Force thought with determination as Dragonheart, Seraph, HiTech, Vixen, Songbird, Fireguard and Zephyr flew next to him, while Red Nova, Lilly, Thunderstrike, Cyberstriker and Darkblade moved on the ground to reach their destination.

With KnightCorps gone, and the Cartel seemingly pulling out of Odaiba after their botched attempts, that left the Dark Legion remaining as the one true threat to the city, and the Protectors vowed to end their terror once and for all.

Arriving on the scene, V-Force and the others made their way inside the power plant, seeing that within, and almost the various knocked out guards were most of the Night Queen's main forces.

"It's about time you got here." Fang commented as he dropped an unconscious guard.

"Beating these guys just wasn't giving us the same kick when we face you losers." Fusionist then added with a dark laugh as Ironfist and Charm Mistress moved next to him, while they saw Deathstrike, Asta and Stryker dealing with a few other guards, Dark Ivy smirking as she surrounded the area in vines, leaving Psychonis and Shadowknight looking at the heroes, with the dark witch smirking wickedly at them.

"I don't see Dark Hawk, Red Phoenix or the Night Queen, so keep your guards up." V-Force said to the others as they started to approach the villains, each staring at either their usual opponents, or thinking of who they could help fight.

However, once the Protectors were within the boundaries of Dark Ivy's thorn wall, the heroes became confused as the scared guards all gained dark smirks.

It was then, much to the surprise and shock of the heroes, that all the guards, even the unconscious ones, turned into shadows and changed forms, revealing themselves to be Shadow Warriors in disguise, where the shadow demons all let out fearsome battle cries as they rushed at the heroes, while the winged ones took to the air.

But even with the numbers greatly against them, V-Force and the others all charged ahead, each making contact with a selection of shadow demons, which they began to clash against.

While Vixen stayed back, setting herself down and focusing, trying to recite an incantation to purify the area and rid them of the shadow demons, her focus was broken as a dark wave of energy rushed at her, causing the red haired heroine to glare as she saw Psychonis approaching her.

"Sorry, but I'm not going to let you destroy all the work my Mistress put in to get you all here." Psychonis said with a dark smile, encasing her hands in pitch black magic that she then threw at Vixen, who countered by raising her staff and forming a spiritual wall before her.

But though her barrier stopped the dark energy blasts, looking ahead, Vixen saw Shadowknight charge at her, where he swung his blade, managing to shatter the wall, before he moved in to finish Vixen off.

However, having an ally looking out for her as well, a blast of pure light struck Shadowknight in the side, throwing him aside and allowing Vixen to slam her staff into his face.

"Thanks for the assist." Vixen said as Seraph landed beside her, not taking his eyes off of Shadowknight, watching the armoured warrior get back up and prepare to fight once again, where he and Psychonis circled the pair of heroes.

"What do you say, handsome?" Psychonis asked, confusing Seraph, thinking she was speaking to him, before the dark haired sorceress added with a dark grin. "You take on the brat and I finish what I started with my pain in the neck?"

"**Don't call me that, just kill the girl.**" Shadowknight then said in an emotionless tone as he drew his blade up and charged at Seraph, who brought up his light blade and blocked the attack.

"Oh, I love when you get so serious." Psychonis purred, before getting serious herself as she charged at Vixen, encasing her hands in her black magic and trying her hand at close combat, showing she had more methods to fight than just using long range.

But even with her skills, she grew frustrated as Vixen countered each attack with her staff and a few swift kicks.

"Fine." Psychonis said with a snarl, backing away and allowing her dark magic to circle her completely.

"I guess we'll do this the old fashioned way, only this time I will crush you!" The dark magic user declared releasing all the dark energies that circled her being, forming a giant lion shaped blast at Vixen, who held her staff out, allowing her own energies to consume her, before releasing it from the staff as a giant fox, with the two blasts clashing and almost looking as though the very spirits of the animals created were fighting.

Nearby, another familiar fight was going on as Dragonheart and Fang, with both their arms glowing in orange and blue energies respectively, clashed with one another, with each blow sending small shockwaves out as the pair fought.

"C'mon Dragon breath. Show me what you really can do." Fang said as he swung his claws at Dragonheart, extending them out with his energies, but found the hero strike back, releasing a stream of orange energy from his right arm and producing a draconic claw that clashed with Fang's, angering the blond.

"I don't know about you, asshole, but I'm getting sick of us fighting all these years. Let's end this already!" Dragonheart yelled as he pushed Fang back, who leaped back a few feet, before rushing in as the two clashed once again, both determined to take the other down, only Fang expressed a dark smile behind his helmet as he said back. "I couldn't agree with you more, only this will be your end!"

Nearby, both Red Nova and Thunderstrike did their best to dodge as Fusionist and Charm Mistress were on them, the villain gathering the elements around him to form weapons that he threw at the pair, while the psionic villainess used her powers to try and amplify her partner's.

But also working as a team, Red Nova produced a stream of flame around his being, with Thunderstrike running around her partner, building up the intensity and range of the inferno, before Red Nova released the devastating blaze, striking down Fusionist and Charm Mistress, angering both in the process.

"That was your fault!" Charm Mistress declared as she glared at Fusionist, then stared down at herself. "You better wish that didn't burn my costume, or else I'll put you six feet under."

"Oh give it a break. I'll make you a new one." Fusionist yelled as he got up, before adding under his breath. "One with a muzzle."

"I heard that!" Charm Mistress yelled as she got up and glared at Fusionist, who paid her no attention as he then slammed his palm into the ground, causing it to shake for a moment, before jagged pillars of rock and stone began to pop out of the ground, heading towards the pair of heroes, who jumped out of the way as the spiked objects tore through everything in their path.

"Focus on them, or did you forget the Boss is watching?" Fusionist then questioned in a serious tone as he looked at Charm Mistress, who gulped for a second, not only because he was right, but because the change in Fusionist's attitude scared her sometimes, causing the psionic villainess to shut her mouth and refocus on taking the Protectors down.

As this was happening, with the heroes and villains trying to settle old scores, Cyberstriker found himself once again in a close combat battle as he and Ironfist fought, the tai chi hero doing his best to avoid the cybernetic villain's fist as he missed being smashed to pieces, leaving a large crater where he once stood.

"Stand still and fight me instead of running around like a coward!" Ironfist yelled as he swung his arm around to try and hit Cyberstriker, who ducked just in time, before leaping up to deliver a swift kick to Ironfist's face, causing him to stagger back a few feet.

"Fine, if you want to play it that way!" Ironfist then let out with a continued rage, growing irked by the tai chi hero's silence and calm nature, before his metallic hand began to pulse with energy, surprising Cyberstriker, before the villain slammed his hand into the ground, creating a shockwave, not only causing Cyberstriker to stagger around, but before him, the ground erupted and a large section of stone slammed into his gut, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to fall to his knees.

"And how is that fair?" Cyberstriker asked through his groans, but found Ironfist gave no reply as he instead charged at the tai chi hero, drawing out a long and thick blade from his right arm, which he planned to use to slice Cyberstriker in half.

But frustration filled the cybernetic villain again when his attack was stopped, not by Cyberstriker, but by Darkblade and her katana.

"Remember, he's the bad guy, he cheats." She remarked, managing to get a slight gap between their blades and kick Ironfist in the chest, not only causing him to stumble back, but it allowed the master swordswoman to help Cyberstriker back to his feet.

"Everything ok?" She asked, trying to keep her cool, but behind her mask, she was worried for her brother.

"All good." Cyberstriker replied with a thumbs up as the siblings prepared to resume their fight with Ironfist, who glared at them as his blade crackled with energy.

Nearby, HiTech and Stryker were having their own fight as the two shot beams of energy at one another, both trying to push one another back.

"For a so-called 'made genius', you're running out of ideas, Styrker." HiTech commented, causing Stryker to scoff at the words and say. "Funny, I was about to say the same to you. I've analyzed our previous battles and I know your moves before you can even think of them."

"Besides, I for one, always have new ideas!" Stryker then yelled with a laugh as HiTech saw something start to cover the villains body, where the tech hero's scanners quickly picked up on what they were as he whispered in shock. "Nanobots?"

When the nanobots stopped swarming, they solidified into a new tech armour around Styrker, one slightly larger than HiTech's own, with the tech villain now encased in dark purple coloured armour, with his head covered by a slender helmet that had a pair of yellow slits resembling eyes and leaving no other visible facial features, except two pincer-like horns that extended from the top.

His being was covered in a thick armour, with HiTech not only seeing that from his arms, which now numbered four, four energy-like wings emerged from his back, leaving Stryker looking more insect-like in his appearance.

"Magnificent, isn't it? A combination of my genius and the tech KnightCorps no longer has use for. I am much stronger now, stronger than you!" Stryker yelled as his extra hands joined in and powered up his attack, pushing HiTech's beam back and forcing the tech hero to quickly move to prevent himself from, being incinerated by Styker's attack, before looking to see the villain flying up at him as four energy blades formed in his hands, keeping HiTech on the defensive, less he wanted Stryker to end him.

Below the two tech users, a battle of plants was forming as vines crashed and twisted with one another, while moving along them, Lilly used a pair of thorn-like blades to fight and parry against Dark Ivy as she used a pair of thorn covered whips on her end.

"You know, as much as I hate to say it, we do have a lot in common." Dark Ivy said, swinging her left whip around, which Lilly parried and swung her blades toward the villainess, only for her to rise up as one of her dark vines extended from beneath.

Curious, Lilly asked. "How do you figure?"

"For starters, we both love plants." Dark Ivy said, using her power to bring a thin vine to her, where a dark purple flower bloomed, taking it into her possession and adding. "Not to mention we both are cute and can probably get most guys to do what we want, even without powers."

"But what separates us is I'm willing to do anything to crush you." Dark Ivy then said with a more sinister voice, crushing the flower in her hand, before a pair of vine rose from the sides of Dark Ivy and shot down at Lilly, who brought up a pair of her own in order to protect herself.

"We are nothing alike! I fight to protect those I love and care for, while you, you only care about your vanity!" Lilly declared as she went back on the offensive, not only managing to push back Dark Ivy's vines, but summoning a third, it shot at the villainess, slamming into her side and knocking her from off her vantage point.

"How dare you!" Dark Ivy cried in rage, wishing to end the foolish girl once and for all, before a dark grin appeared on her face as she believed she knew how to do so.

"I guess you're right, I do only care about me." The plant villainess confessed, keeping her grin as a line of dark vines grew by her side, wrapping around one another until they formed a near perfect copy of herself, freaking Lilly out a little at the sight and this new ability.

"Me, me, me." Dark Ivy and her vine copy said darkly, as did the several that then grew around Lilly, before the copies tried their hand and leapt at Lilly.

However, while the copies shared the same dreaded feeling Lilly got from the original Dark Ivy, her vine blades were able to cut through them with no problem, leaving the plant using heroine to comment. "Your plant friends might look like you, but they are almost as weak as you are."

"How dare you!" One of the Dark Ivy copies yelled, where another added with a shared anger. "We'll grind you into mulch!"

Meanwhile, above them, Fireguard was locked in a close combat battle with Asta, who used his daggers to try and cut the fiery hero down, while slightly below them, Zephyr did her best to dodge the bullet fire from Deathstrike, who stood on the roof of one of the plant's buildings as he fired energy bullets at the heroine, before activating his rocket launcher as he fired a missile, one Zephyr dodged as she said in a mocking tone. "Missed me!"

"I don't miss, my dear." Deathstrike merely replied in a calm tone, confusing the heroine for a moment, before turning as the missile exploded a little bit above here, where a large net came down from the smoke, wrapping around Zephyr's being as she struggled to get out, falling towards the ground.

However, Zephyr felt herself freeze up, a chill ran down her as Deathstrike pressed his gun to the side of her head, grinning down at her as he said. "And now to finish what I started."

But before he could fire, Deathstrike quickly jumped out of the way as a powerful blast of flame pushing down Asta, causing him to crash right where the gunslinging villain was standing, before, acting quickly, Zephyr focused her elemental energy and released it with a powerful cry, not only cutting through the netting that restricted her being, but it slammed into Deathstrike, knocking him back and crashing into the barely recovered form of Asta.

"Thanks for the save, my love." Zephyr said with a sincere smile as Fireguard landed next to her, where he smirked and said. "For you, anytime."

The pair then watched their enemies stand back up and prepared to fight them once more, knowing that with two marksmen as skilled as Deathstrike and Asta, they would have to be cautious.

But looking at one another, both knew they could depend on their skills and their teamwork.

As all these battles were raging on, V-Force and Songbird were left to fight the small army of Shadow Warriors, battling the ones on the ground before going after the ones in the air.

"What was the point of all this? Radioactive materials and the Night Queen just don't mix." V-Force though aloud, knowing the psychological mind of Night Queen better than anybody.

"There doesn't seem to be..." He then began to say, only for a pair of winged Shadow Warriors to crash into him, cutting his thoughts and pushing him down to a three way graded platform near the top of the plant.

"V-Force!" Songbird yelled in concern, only to quickly go on the defensive as all the Shadow Warriors then began to swarm her.

V-Force, seeing Songbird in danger, quickly got to his feet, and was about ready to fly up and help her, before most of the area around the platform was covered in flames, a familiar laughter being heard as he looked up to see Red Phoenix in the air above, before another sinister laugh caught his attention, causing him to look to see Dark Hawk standing before him, running her blade along the railing and causing a few sparks to spread in the process.

"Looks like you fell for our little trap. My Lady did all this, so that I may have the honour of finally ending your pathetic life." The dark assassin said with a dark laugh, while realization finally hit V-Force, this was all a trap, a way to lure him into a situation to kill him off and as much of his team as possible.

'Damn it Davis!' V-Force mentally cursed himself as he extended hisi energy blades, knowing that, while he was good at close combat, Dark Hawk's reputation was well earned, while also knowing he had to keep some focus on Red Phoenix.

"Now, die!" The assassin yelled as she quickly closed the distance, swinging her blades as she thought against the hero.

All the while, from her private sanctum in the Dark Fortress, Kari watched with a dark smile at the view orb before her, watching V-Force and Dark Hawk fight.

"Very good my servants. Soon, V-Force will be no more. My plans will come to fruition, and with Davis at my side, I will rule over our new world forever." The Night Queen declared, looking forward to the final blow.

And though part of her wanted to have had Davis destroy her foe, she was glad that V-Force's end would come soon and that she and Davis would finally be together.

Meanwhile, V-Force did his best to block against Dark Hawk's attacks, before he felt himself bump into something, looking behind to see his back literally against the wall, turning just in time to see Dark Hawk before him, her right arm reaching back as she prepared to plunge the blade in her hand right through his face.

"So long, 'hero'." Dark Hawk said mockingly as she lunged the blade forward, a clanging sound of metal piercing metal being heard throughout the area as some of the fighting stopped as both heroes and villains looked toward the noise.

However, for a brief moment, the assassin was confused, as she did not feel the sensation of her blade piercing flesh and bone, before feeling a powerful kick to her stomach, causing her to skid a few feet, quickly regaining her composure as she realized what had happened.

V-Force had move just enough that her blade missed his head, but had pieced his helmet, which was now stuck to the wall behind him, allowing everyone to see the hero's true face as he got into a fighting stance, ignoring the fact he was unmasked and glaring at Dark Hawk, remaining determined to defeat her.

"My, my, such a handsome face." Dark Hawk commented, before drawing her blade forth again and adding with a more sinister voice. "It's a shame I'm going to have to cut it, along with you down."

Meanwhile, one thought went through the minds of all the Protectors, and, unbeknownst to them, Red Phoenix and Fang. 'Oh Fuck!'

"Mistress, what are your orders? Mistress?" Red Phoenix asked through her comms, but found the Night Queen not answering.

On her end, Kari's hands were shaking, her body trembling and her eyes widened in shock and disbelief as she mumbled. "But... but you were supposed to be at my side..."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Dark Hawk, but I'm not going down that easily." Davis declared as he quickly closed the distance between him and the assassin as the began to trade blows, managing to avoid the strikes and slashes of Dark Hawk's blades, while getting a few hits in on her.

"My, my... that handsome face... the way you fight... if I wasn't spoken for I'd say I'm falling in love here!" Dark Hawk declared as she continued to fight.

"Sorry but there's no way I would be drawn to a psychopath like you!" Davis yelled, drawing back his right arm and smashing it into Dark Hawk's blades, knocking her off balance and to her back.

Staring at Davis, then looking past, behind her mask, Dark Hawk grinned, seeing Red Phoenix had a clear shot at him, knowing that with one final blast, she could eliminate V-Force once and for all.

But before either could make such a move...

{_Cease the fight and return. That is a direct command._} The Dark Legion then heard their leader then command, confusing them as they still had the upper hand.

"But Mistress..." Psychonis began to say, only to hear the Night Queen's voice yell. {_I said now!_}

Giving a small growl at the fact they had to retreat, Dark Hawk declared. "We'll settle this later."

Dark portals then opened behind each of the Legionaries, where they turned and entered, closing behind them, while the shadow demons all faded into shadows, allowing the Protectors to sigh in relief, before a great worry filled them as they saw Davis retrieve his helmet and fly down towards them, concern filling them that their enemy now knew who V-Force really was.

-Meanwhile-

"What happened? Why did we retreat?" Fusionist questioned, feeling like they could have finished the Protectors off this time, while most of the group were confused as well.

Even if they couldn't defeat them all, Fusionist was certain that a few would've met their ends.

Meanwhile, as the rest of the Legion were wondering what happened, Sora and Matt stood before the entrance to the Night Queen's chambers as guard, having been commanded to make sure nobody entered and disturbed their Queen.

But from what they could hear, both were disturbed and worried themselves.

Inside her chambers, Kari was laughing insanely, and an equally insane look on her face as though she heard the biggest joke in the world.

"The man I love is also the man I hate, no... no!" Kari let out with a laugh as she felt her sanity slipping even further. "Davis cannot be V-Force...This is all a big mistake... it's all wrong... V-Force is nothing but pain to me, a constant problem that prevents me from achieving the goal I want to accomplish with my love... Davis is my soulmate, he would've told me about this, would he...? I... I..."

And from his view in the Dark Realm, Zhaitan smiled wickedly as he thought with a growing pride. '**All is going as I have foreseen.**'


	17. Chapter 17

As the sun began to set, the Protectors all remained silent as they lounged around inside their base, with most staring at Davis' back with worry and concern as he held his helmet with his right hand, while holding his left over it, his palm glowing with his power and repairing the damage done by Dark Hawk's blade.

"Davis..." Tai then started to say, breaking the silence as he continued. "We need to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about." Davis merely replied, keeping his back to the group as he worked on his helmet, where TK then stood up from his seat and said in a frustrated voice. "Yes there is! They've seen your face! You need to lay low for a while!"

"I will not hide! I won't let the Night Queen control my life!" Davis said in anger as he finally snapped, turning to face the others, before feeling a hand slap the side of his face hard, shocking not only Davis, but the others as well, especially seeing who it came from.

"Damn it, you stubborn asshole, this isn't a game! This is your life we're talking about here!" Rika yelled in anger, where Davis saw tears start to form in her eyes, the look of fear and concern written all over her face.

But even though he hated causing his friends so much pain, Davis felt he had to stand firm as he then asked the rest of the group. "Tell me, and be honest, would any of you just sit back if you were in my position? Would you run and hide with the villains still out there?"

When none of the others replied, knowing that he was right, Davis began to walk past them as he added. "I refuse to run or hide, If they come for me, I'll give them a fight they'll never forget."

"And what about Kari?!" Tai then asked in anger, causing Davis to stop in his tracks, looking back at the brunette with a glare for using her name in this.

Tai hated doing this, but if the Dark Legion figured out who Davis is, then Kari's life could be in danger as well, and he refused to allow his sister in harm's way as he continued. "What will happen if they target her now?!"

Davis continued to glare at the older brunette, before putting his helmet back on and making his way down to the training level, causing the others to sigh in frustration at the entire situation.

"Well, maybe we'll get lucky, Davis is still in high school, there might not be much for the Legion to go on." Joe said, trying to lift everyone's spirits, before they all glared at him with a look that practically said. 'You're kidding, right?!'

-Meanwhile-

"Davis Motomiya. Senior at Odaiba High and captain of the soccer team. Apparently he's Mister Popular." Stryker, who was back in his normal attire, said as he brought of everal holographic screens in the throne room as the entire Legion looked at the various social media pictures and images of Davis, the maroon haired hero's popularity now coming to bit him in the ass as the various members of the Legion looked at the photos.

Meanwhile, the Night Queen sat on her throne, with Red Phoenix and Fang at her sides, while Shadowknight stood before her, each sensing the growing frustration in their leader, who had finally emerged from her sanctum a few hours after her break down.

"Say what you want about him as V-Force, but as Davis, he's quite the hunk." Dark Ivy said with a small grin, which caused Charm Mistress to glare at the plant villainess and say with a competitive tone. "Sorry, Ivy, but he's clearly out of your league. If I had known what he looked like without his mask, I would've made him my first servant."

"As if either of you would have a chance. I on the other hand would enjoy making him my merry puppet." Psychonis then added with a smirk, only to look at Shadowknight and tease. "Unless someone else is interested in me."

Shadowknight made no reply, while behind him, both Sora and Matt tensed as they heard Kari's hand tighten around her staff, both fearing that she might lash out at any moment.

"Yeah, yeah, while you three enjoy your little fantasies, is there anything useful we could use on him?" Fusionist asked in annoyance as he turned from the three girls to Stryker, who smirked in reply.

"As a matter of fact, according to what I've gathered, he apparently has a love interest, a girl by the name of Kari Kamiya." The mad scientist of the Legion as he brought up images of Kari, causing Mat and Sora to gulp quietly.

"Damn, now that's a hotty!" Fusionist called out with a whistle, causing Charm Mistress to growl and say. "Quiet you imbecile!"

"Oh please, like you aren't thinking of adding her to your 'collection'." The brunette villain remarked as he glared back at Charm Mistress, where the blonde rose her hands and replied. "Yeah, you're right."

"If she wasn't V-Force's little girlfriend, I'd take a shot at her." Deathstrike then added as his eyes looked over the various images of Kari, before his sly grin changed to a dark smile as he drew his pistol, swung it around and added. "She looks like she's a perfect target."

"I say we take her, use her as bait, and let V-Force watch as we make her suffer for all his transgressions against us!" Dark Hawk said with a smirk, getting some nods and agreements from the other Legionaries, before the loud sound of the Night Queen's staff slamming into the metal ground caught their attention, causing them to turn towards their leader.

"Capturing the girl is pointless." The Night Queen said with a small hiss, confusing her servants as to why, since the plan seemed good, where Styrker then asked. "Forgive me, my Lady, but why? She would make the perfect bait to lure V-Force in."

"Plus we could have some fun with that hot body of hers before..." Fusionist then started to say, before stopping when he and all the other Dark Legion members looked to see the Night Queen reach up and take her mask off, showing her anger as she glared at them.

"Oh... Oh!... Oh crap...!" Fusionist then said as realization dawned on him and the others as to why they retreated the night before, as well as the comments they had been making, realizing that they were now in deep waters with the most powerful villain they had ever known.

"F... forgive us, Mistress... We... we didn't know..." Psychonis said with a stutter as she and the rest of the Legion, minus Red Phoenix, Fang and Shadowknight knelt to show they were indeed sorry.

Kari let out a frustrated growl as she put her mask back on, before Asta, speaking for one of the rare times he ever spoke, then asked. "**What is your plan then, my Lady?**"

Kari gripped her staff once again as she thought about what she wanted, no, what she needed to do.

-Later-

Panic ensued in the park as dozens upon dozens of shadow demons ran rampant, attacking civilians and police in their rampage, where the Protectors responded, though they were unsure if V-Force coming with them was a good idea.

"There are no signs of the Legion, but keep your eyes peeled, there is most likely a trap involved here." V-Force said as the team engaged the demons, while he made sure to keep his eye out for anything targeting him, not sure when or if the enemy would strike at him.

As the heroes began fighting the Stalkers, Brutes and Dark Warriors, after taking down a pair of ground demons, out of the corner of his eye, V-Force saw the recognizable form of the Night Queen herself walking in the opposite direction, deeper into the bushes and trees.

Looking around, V-Force saw the rest of his team too distracted within their own battles to provide him with back up.

And though he knew just how dangerous she could be, V-Force knew he had to make chase and stop the Night Queen, now more than ever.

His energy wings igniting, V-Force gave chase, rushing through the trees in the direction the Night Queen went before, much to his shock, he crashed into a barrier of pure dark energy.

But before he could recover, V-Force saw the same energy form around him in a box-like shape, trapping him within, bringing a little fear alongside, certain the Night Queen would crush him in his current predicament.

"Davis Motomiya." Davis then heard the Night Queen say, causing him to look and see the arch villainess standing before the dark prison he was in now, causing him to glare, before she said. "With me, you don't need to hide behind your mask ."

Davis was confused for a second, before several dark tendrils appeared around him and took his helmet off before he could reach, causing him to look and see the object now on the ground behind him, before he returned his attention towards the Night Queen and asked. "What do you want?"

"Before, I found your rhetoric of 'Justice', 'Peace' and all that to be annoying and hypocritical garbage, but now, seeing who you really are, I'm curious. Why do you care about a world where people constantly suffer, where the corrupt like Knight rule over the innocent, getting away with their cruelty until they are caught red handed? What is in it for you? Fame, glory, a sense of self gratitude, what...?" The Night Queen started to ask as she paced around V-Force's makeshift prison, continuing to confuse him, but he decided to play along.

"I fight you and others like you for reasons you could never understand." Davis replied in annoyance, causing the villainess to stop for a moment as Davis continued. "I fight so that someone I care about so she can keep her smile everyday and not have to live in fear from monsters like you!"

'Could he..? You don't mean...? Oh Davis... You fool... you blind, sweet fool...' The Night Queen though, before testing her theory as she started to say. "Kari Kami..."

"You stay the hell away from her!" Davis yelled as he tried to punch at the prison wall, thrashing around within the dark magics holding him, startling the Night Queen at his sudden rage he was expressing, before finding Davis then added with a continued fury never before seen within him. "If you so much as touch her, I'll end you!"

It took Kari everything in her not to laugh in joy, before she brought her hand up, where Davis stubbled as the prison lifted off the ground as she said. "Your goals are admirable, but your methods are flawed. I will show you a better way."

It was at that moment that Songbird and Vixen, who had noticed V-Force missing, arrived in the air, shocked to see Davis trapped within the Night Queen's dark energies, watching his helmet fall out of it as they screamed in fear. "Davis!"

However, before either could react, the Night Queen and her prisoner disappeared in a wips of darkness, leaving only his helmet, where the two girls felt dread and worry for the man they both loved, landing as Songbird picked the helmet up, just as the others arrived.

"What happened? The shadow demons all just vanished." Dragonheart began to question, confused as to why the Night Queen had summoned her forces, only to call them away so briefly, before noticing Davis' helmet in Songbird's hands, where he then asked in dread. "Where's Davis?"

"She... she took him..." Vixen let out in reply as her head sunk, feeling it was partly her fault, that maybe if she was faster, she could've stopped such an occurrence, while her information scared the rest of the team, believing Davis was in great danger now.

"We've got to find him, now!" Fireguard declared as he and Zephyr felt a great dread, remembering what the Night Queen had done to Tommy before, how twisted and dark she had made him, and feared Davis might be next.

"I'm trying to track his signal, but nothing, we need to spread out and try to find where he is!" HiTech said, his voice matching the same concerns Fireguard expressed, causing the group to quickly scatter and begin searching, all fearing for their teammate and leader's life.

One member, however, took a detour, not because he didn't want to find Davis, but because he needed to calm down, and he knew of only one person he could talk to that might be able to help him in his time of need.

-Moments later-

Arriving outside the window to his brother's apartment, TK's armour glowed for a moment, before disappearing, returning him to his normal clothing, before he opened the window and entered the apartment, sighing for a moment as he saw Matt was not home.

"Damn it, Matt, where are you?" TK groaned as he tried calling Matt once again, but like the past few times he called, Matt's phone went straight to voicemail, causing him to sigh, especially since said apartment was just as messy as the last time he was there.

However, hearing the sounds of something coming up towards the window and, not wanting to be seen, TK quickly moved into the nearby closet, closing it to conceal himself, while also allowing him to see out through the slits, where his eyes widened in surprise to see Fang of all people entering his brother's apartment, causing TK to think in panic. 'Why is he here?!'

Matt, for his part, felt somewhat on alert, having not remembered leaving his window open, causing him to slowly look around, trying to see if anything had been disturbed and if he had an intruder.

However, as he got closer to the closet, the every frustrating sound of Stryker's voice came up in his comms, with the mad scientist questioning with an impatience. "Fang! Where are you?"

"Will you relax, you goddamn asshole." Matt said as he took his helmet off, placing his right index finger against said comm in his ear, before asking. "What's up?"

"The Night Queen wants us all at a warehouse near the pier. She has Davis with her and she doesn't want the Protectors interfering with her plans for him." Stryker replied, causing Matt to sigh and reply back. "Fine, fine I'll be there."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Matt then looked over at his answering machine, seeing nearly a dozen missed calls on it, where he said with a sad smile. "Sorry, TK, but I promise I'll make it up to you."

Matt then put his helmet back on and left the apartment through the window, none the wiser, for within the closet, TK held his hand over his mouth to keep himself from screaming, tears running down his eyes as he felt anger and betrayal fill him.

Matt was Fang... his brother had not only lied to him, but was in fact one of the top villains running around Odaiba.

Holding back his anger, knowing he would have to deal with it at some point, TK knew he had other things to worry about as he activated his own comm and said. "Guys, I found them, the Night Queen has Davis at a warehouse by the pier, but we have to hurry."

"Seraph, where did...?" Dragonheart started to ask, before TK replied quickly. "Nevermind how I found out. I said we need to move quickly!"

"I'll contact StarCorps and have them back us up." HiTech informed him, before TK got up and exited the closet, looking around as he said in anger. "You have a lot to answer for, 'Brother'."

-A little bit later-

Kari stood before Davis with a neutral look as he stood still and in place, no longer restrained, only the dark Mark now on his forehead leaving him in a trance-like state as it started to try and alter his mind.

"It will only be another hour, my love, but you'll see, everything will be better in the end." Kari said as she took her mask off, moving closer to Davis, where she rested her head on his shoulder, taking in his scent, the scent she loved, as she then added in tears. "I didn't want it like this, but you left me no choice. Everything will be perfect, I promise."

Keeping her body close to Davis', Kari moved her head up, looking at the boy she loved so much, a great part of her hating what she was doing to him, but believed it was for his own good, which brought a small smile on Kari's face, before she set her head forward and gently kissed Davis' cheek, knowing that once she was done marking him, he would be back to the one she cherished, only the V-Force she despised would be no more.

However, her eyes then snapped open as she felt familiar presences heading in their direction at rapid speeds, causing her to put her mask back on and break her embrace with Davis, just as Red Phoenix entered and told her. "Mistress, the Protectors are here, and StarCorps' with them."

"Take them down and kill them all." Kari instructed, before smirking as she then looked at Davis, knowing that, even in this state, she could still command him, where she then instructed him. "Kill your former teammates for me, my love. You won't need them ever again, not when we have each other."

Davis mindlessly began to walk out, followed closely by Kari, who smiled darkly as she set herself back around Davis' arm, knowing that things were finally starting to go her way, believing her dark fate had led her to this.

Instantly, the doors to the warehouse burst open as the Protectors and StarCorps entered, all looking ready to fight as they saw the entire Dark Legion and many shadow demons inside, before, out of a small room nearby, they saw Red Phoenix walk out, followed by a sight that frightened many of the heroes as they saw Davis with a blank look on his face, the same mark set on his forehead as Tommy had, before noticing the Night Queen next to him, standing quite close to the distant minded hero.

"No, we're too late!" Songbird cried, fearing Davis was lost to them.

However, Vixen felt something different than when they fought Tommy, where the mystic heroes said in a hopeful tone."No, there's still time. It's faint, but I can sense Davis is still in there. We just need to undo the mark before it becomes permanent, get a hold of him so that I can take it off."

"Like hell we're going to let you after all the work we...!" Fusionist started to yell, before Fighting Fury quickly closed the distance between them, causing the villain to dodge the police hero's fist, where Fury said with a smirk. "We're not taking no for an answer!"

It was at that moment the fighting commenced, with the Night Queen standing back as the fighting ensued, many of the heroes fighting their normal foes and their demonic servants.

All the while, Seraph would take a moment to look over at Dragonheart and Fang fighting, wanting answers, wanting to know what had drawn Matt to such a life, while feeling that he wanted Matt to suffer for all he had done.

But feeling his bond as his younger sibling, Seraph was conflicted, left between loyalties, anger and justice, before refocusing as he dodged Shadowknight's latest attack.

Seeing her followers continuing to fight, with some faring better than the others, the Night Queen slid herself around Davis, wrapped her arms around him from behind and whispered with a dark purr. "Do as you have been commanded and kill."

Nodding to the Night Queen's voice, Davis jumped at Cobalt Warrior, who quickly brought his blades up and blocked Davis' attack, where he said with a groan. "Davis... fight it, you're stronger than this..."

'I know he's strong, and that strength will be used to create our new world.' The Night Queen thought as she smiled darkly, feeling her dark hold on Davis continuing to grow, knowing that he would soon see the world as she did and would no longer hinder himself to such moralities.

However, the arch villainess then looked in surprise when, just as Davis brought his right arm up to strike at the blond hero, Songbird appeared and grabbed hold of said arm, using all her strength to keep him held back.

"Davis... snap out of it! Don't let the witch use you! You said you'd never let her control your life!" The idol heroine cried out as she tried holding him back, watching as Fighting Fury came over and quickly grabbed Davis' other arm, the two doing their best to hold him still, with Fireguard and Red Nova quickly joined in, trying to hold Davis as he thrashed about, before the elemental hero cried out. "Vixen, hurry!"

Quickly appearing before Davis, Vixen held her staff out as it began to glow with a bright light, before she slammed it against Davis' forehead, causing him to cry out in pain as a dark shadow quickly began to leave his body, the mark fading from his forehead.

"No! You will not take him from me!" The Night Queen cried out, rushing at the heroes and leaping into the air, her staff turning into a dark spear of energy that she intended to strike Vixen down with.

However, Kari then noticed Davis' right arm get free, before seeing it swing upwards, his blade extended and causing her to move her body back, where the blade narrowly missed her, but the edge of it cut down the middle of her mask, causing the left side began to fall off.

Time seemed to slow down as Kari's eyes widened, while she saw Davis' face slowly change from the rage and hate she was supplying him to shock, disbelief, anguish, and most of all, betrayal.

'This wasn't supposed to be... You were supposed to see my ways and finally understand...' Kari thought as time seemed to resume, where she landed on her feet, quickly placing her left hand over her face, and turned to run out the exit, refusing to watch anymore failings for the night.

However, before she could reach it, a blast of light energy shot at the top of the entrance, causing it to collapse and cutting off her path.

"Why!?" Davis yelled in anguish as he looked at the Night Queen, confusing the others to his outburst, before Kari turned around, causing Vixen, Songbird, Lilly and Zephyr to gasp, while Seraph, Hitech and Fireguard all expressed shock.

Dragonheart, meanwhile, turned to the sound of Davis' cry, before his eyes widened in shock and denial as he whispered. "No... please, no..."

"It wasn't supposed to be this way... It wasn't supposed to be this way!" Kari then let out with a mixed array of emotions, before slamming her staff into the ground, causing a blast of darkness to shoot out and spread throughout the area, where the heroes covered their eyes at the rush of energy.

When the energies died down and all lowered their arms, the heroes saw no signs of the Night Queen, the Dark Legion or their demons, where Davis fell to his knees as tears ran down his eyes.

Kari Kamiya, the girl he loved his entire life, was the Night Queen.

-Later-

Back at the Protectors' base, the heroes, minus Davis, all sat around with mixed emotions after what they now knew, even Cody and Joe were shocked by the news as well.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Cody asked, making certain that it was Kari they saw. "Do you think it might've been an illusion she set to keep Davis' will broken?"

"I didn't sense any magic, other than the magic coming off of her own body during the time, there was no other mask then the one she wore." Rika replied, now understanding the powerful pull of magic she felt from the brunette when she and Kari first met.

"How's Davis doing?" Thomas then asked as he tried to approach the question with caution, the six members of StarCorps present as the Protectors allowed them into their base.

At the next moment, the ground beneath them shook for a moment, before Cody looked at the monitors and said. "Training room four is completely destroyed, and I think he's heading to the roof now."

"I'd say let him be, this is a lot to take in." Marcus then added, feeling empathy for the maroon haired hero, before Yoshi then said. "I believe I read that Kari had a brother. We might want to question him to see if he knows anything."

"He doesn't." Joe said in reply, confusing the auburn haired girl, before he pointed at Dragonheart, who took his helmet off, staring at the ground with a broken look as Yoshi then said. "Oh..."

"We're going to have to put out a warrant for her immediate arrest." Yoshi told Tai, placing a comforting hand on the brunette's shoulder and saying. "I'm sorry."

"I know..." Tai said in a voice lacking emotions, his mind wondering how this happened, how this came to be, and why he didn't see it.

TK, meanwhile, wanted to tell the others about Matt, but with the revelation about Kari being their worst enemy left the blond deciding to keep his secret quiet for now, knowing he would have to deal with it later on.

A little bit later, remaining alone, Davis sat on the edge of the roof, where a depressed and solemn look continued to adorn his face ever since Kari was unmasked, leaving the maroon haired boy trying to process all that had happened, before he felt a presence sit next to him.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Rika asked with a clear worry and concern in her voice, caring deeply for Davis, his well being and wanting to make sure he was ok during this obviously hard time.

"I keep thinking back on what I missed, how I didn't see something was wrong, but every time I do, it all comes back to one moment." Davis said, before turning to Rika and asking. "Have you ever heard of a bookstore called Black Pages?"

Rika's eyes widened at the name, before she nodded and said in reply. "Yes, I was part of a raid that took it down. Turns out it was a front for the Circle of Shadows."

Davis looked back out at the city, clenched his fist as he said. "Years ago, Tai and Kari's parents were killed in a car crash. She... she was devastated for a while, but I thought she was doing better after all the time I spent with her. Tai and I took her out for some fresh air one day, and she asked if she could go into the store for a bit and at the time I didn't think anything of it..."

"And Zhaitan got his claws in her." Rika then said as she understood what happened, before she looked at the maroon haired boy, seeing determination in his eyes as she asked. "So, what will you do now?"

Taking a breath, Davis stood up, where he declared. "I failed her. She needed me and I didn't see it. I... I want to save her, before it's too late. No matter what it takes, I will defeat the Night Queen and save Kari Kamiya!"

Smiling herself, even if it was a sad one, Rika got up and said. "I know you will."

Davis turned and smiled at her, before being surprised when the redhead leaned in and gave his cheek a kiss, moving back with a sad smile, where Davis started to say. "Rika, I..."

"I know. Kari is a fool, a blind fool for what she's thrown away, but she is also lucky to have you. I know I will never have your heart, but I'll still be here for you, no matter what. And I'll be there when you save her." Rika replied with a smile, which grew as Davis smiled back and said with gratitude. "Thank you."

-The next day-

Word quickly spread as TV stations reported the warrant for Kari Kamiya, revealing her as the villainess Night Queen, shocking many who knew the girl, finding it hard to believe the two were one and the same.

Within the halls of the high school, as the broadcast played, the cheerleaders were all shocked, none so much as Eri, at this revelation, along with the other Vigilant, astonished that a seemingly sweet student like Kari could be such an embodiment of darkness and evil.

And with her identity revealed, within her sanctum, Kari sat with a broken look on her face as she held what was left of her mask in her hand, before feeling a familiar presence as she said in anger. "You promised me..."

"**And I will keep my word, Davis will rule at your side, but now, you must show him that you are correct, show him that his way is the wrong way. Show him the world you plan to make! **" Zhaitan said in Kari's mind, the brunette finding herself agreeing, before looking once more at the mask, where she threw it into the ground with a great rage.

She then held her hand out as it glowed with a dark aura, before the remnants of her mask seemed to melt and lose their shapes, merging together into a dark metal face mask, resembling a demons' mouth and dark purple runes glowing on it, which she then placed over her mouth.

Exiting her sanctum, with her hood back on and her face mask, the Night Queen stood before her servants, who knelt before her as she said in a distorted voice. "Kari Kamiya is officially dead, I am the Night Queen and only the Night Queen. Our time has come, and soon, the Protectors, this city, this world, will no longer matter!"

Looking down before her, the last seal on the dark book finally vanished, before a gust of dark energy swept out from it, causing the Night Queen to laugh wickedly, knowing her triumph was near.

However, neither she nor Zhaitan could have predicted that their actions would have an unintended consequence, one that could ruin their plans before they even began.


	18. Chapter 18

Though unseen by most in the world, the unsealing of the Dark Book was felt all over the world, the shockwave of energy spreading across the globe.

Deep within an inhospitable desert, as the shockwave passed, something began to stir, something long buried in the earth as the ground began to shake violently, splitting open as what looked like an ancient pyramid-like structure began to rise to the surface, floating high in the air as an eerie green aura surrounded it.

Deep within the structure, meanwhile, a large, sarcophagus-like object began to glow, the chains wrapped around it shattering as the lid broke open, before a skeletal arm reached out, followed closely by an inhuman cry.

-Meanwhile-

Within the dark fortress, after scanning through the book, finding the ritual and what she needed, Kari assembled her servants as she began to explain what was needed of them.

"Before we continue, I sense some of you seem... unsure, about my new look." Kari said in a calculated voice, first looking over at Fusionist as she asked. "Tagiru?"

"I think it looks great. Let's us know better when you're pissed off." The brunette said with a cocky grin, causing the others to groan, thinking that their leader would lash out at him for his crude comment.

However, before she could so much as open her mouth and express such anger, Kari, Psychonis and Shadowknight went on high alert, sensing a powerful magic source, one heading towards them, no, towards Odaiba at great speeds.

"Um... what happened?" Charm Mistress asked as she looked between the three, sensing the fear running through Jeri at least, but felt concern at seeing the Night Queen looking so on guard as she growled in anger.

-Meanwhile-

At the Protectors' base, after seeing Davis calm down, as well as his determination to save Kari from herself, the rest of the team, though unsure if it was a wise move, trusted in their leader as they tried to come up with plans to fight the Dark Legion the next time they crossed paths.

"Tai..." TK then started to say to the older brunette, not only getting his attention, but the rest of the team, where the blond then said with great seriousness. "The next time we run into them, I want you to swear to me you'll leave Fang to me."

Curious, Tai asked. "Why the sudden interest in that psycho? I usually fight him because our powers are alike, so I know what to expect of him."

"It's personal, but I need you to promise me." TK said, before looking over at Davis, their eyes meeting, where Davis' widened at the hidden message TK was sending, based on his look, causing the leader of the Protectors to place his hand over his face and say. "Damn it..."

"What? What's going on here?" Tai asked, feeling left in the dark, as well as concern for TK going up against someone as vicious as Fang, before the blond let out with a more furious tone. "Promise me!"

Surprised at TK's outburst and knowing that this was serious, but also trusting his friend, Tai nodded, deciding to respect the light user's request, though he had to ask. "Alright, I promise. But please tell me why?"

"Because Fang's Matt." Davis replied for TK, hating to share this information with the others, but knew it would be exposed eventually, causing a few in the room to look surprised, while Tai was a mix of surprise and sudden rage to learn the villain he had been fighting for years was his former best friend.

"What?! TK you can't just..." Tai started to yell, finding conflict in his feelings, before TK then quickly cut him off and said. "No! This is my fight now. Tai, please keep your word."

Tai clenched his fist, not only conflicted at finding out Matt was Fang, but also that TK was now in a similar position to him and Kari.

'Damnit Matt, how could you do this to TK?' The brunette thought in anger, wanting to punch that wolf helmet off his head then give him another right in the face, knowing the pain TK was going through.

Before anyone could question what was going on, Davis, TK, Rika, Takuya and Zoe all flinched as they looked out towards the west end of the building, sensing something every powerful in magic awakening, and making its way towards the city, concerning the others as Mimi asked in a worried tone. "Guys... what is it?"

Before any of them could respond, however, a shadow form began to emerge in the middle of the room, before the Protectors' eyes widened to see shadow projection of Kari standing before them.

"Is this the right place? Damn it, I can't see anything!" The shadow said as it looked around, before Rika then said with a serious tone. "I put wards in this place to keep anyone from peering into our base!"

"But how did she find us?!" Takuya asked in concern, getting into his Fireguard persona as the group looked around, before Davis' eyes widened as he reached down and took his watch off, a gift Kari gave him years ago, and turned it on its back, showing a glowing, purple rune on it.

"I... I needed to know..." Kari started to say, before shaking her head and refocusing, while in his mind, Davis knew exactly what she was going to say. 'I needed to know where to find you if you were ever in danger.'

"Ok, so she can't see who we are then." Cody said with a relief filled sigh, believing that their identities could at least be hidden from the Night Queen.

"Is that Cody?!" Kari then let out, causing said boy to gulp in fear, while Suzie drew her blade out, as though to protect him if need be.

"What do you want, Kari? Is what we're sensing your doing?" Davis then asked, wanting to get to why she was reaching out to them, though, even in her shadow form, Davis could see her flinch slightly at his tone.

"No, not entirely. To put it simple, Bagra's risen." Kari informed, while all four magic based members of the team either looked surprised or let out gasps, while the others looked confused, where Suzie asked. "Who?"

"Remember the stories of the old kingdom?" Rika asked, getting nods from the others, before the redhead continued and told her allies. "Bagra was its last sorcerer king, the one responcible for its fall in the end. Considered one of the greatest mages of all time, he ruled for over a hundred and fifty years."

"Doesn't sound like a bad run." Tai commented, before Davis looked at the older boy and said. "He didn't die of old age, he was stabbed, beheaded and burned."

"Oh... he was one of those kinds of rulers." Tai then said with a deadpan expression, realizing this Bagra must not have been a good guy and probably got what was coming to him.

"Unfortunately, the night after his former subjects celebrated his death, the dark king rose from his grave, now an immortal undead, and came under the impression that to enforce his rule, everything living had to die and be slaves to him in death." Takuya then added, causing a chill to fill the room to know such evil existed.

"But before he could complete his ritual, his army of undead servants fighting his former living servants, he was overpowered, and a powerful spell was used to seal him away, imprisoning him for thousands of years as his former empire fell to time and the modern world rose... until a few hours ago, that is." Kari's shadow projection then finished, causing the Protectors' to glare at the shadow as she continued to inform them. "He senses the magical imbalance here in Odaiba, and is on his way, most likely with his army, to find out why, before finishing what he started so long ago."

Glaring at the image of Kari, Nene asked. "And why are you telling us all this?"

"Because, as much as I despise the majority of you, if we don't work together and stop him, none of us will be around much longer." Kari said in reply as she glared in the direction of Nene's voice, easily recognizing the idol's voice, and vowing to make her suffer, as she menatlly believed she and those in the Protectors were to blame for her and Davis being apart from one another now.

The Protectors' were all shocked by this, that the Night Queen herself, asking in her own way, for them to work together against a common threat.

"Why should we trust you? After all you've done, not only to us, but all of Odaiba? Why should we believe anything you say?!" Zoe yelled in anger, not noticing Kari's eyes narrowing for a second, before her reply shocked them even more.

"Because you are the heroes." Kari replied in a voice that the Protectors could feel the smirk coming off of her, where she continued as she declared. "Because if you don't, thousands will die, followed soon after by the rest of the world. And as much as you hate to admit it, you need me if you even hope of challenging Bagra himself."

Taking a deep breath, still shaken by what the girl he loved had become, Davis looked at the shadowy projection and asked, finding part of him still caring about her. "Alright, Kari, what do you have in mind?"

-Later, that night-

Despite it being later in the evening, an eerie green glow illuminated the horizon as the pyramid floated ever closer towards Odaiba.

Floating above the Pyramid was a lone figure, who surveyed all before him.

The figure was slightly taller than most humans, adored in black robes and armour, with two shoulder pads that resembled small twin scythes pointed in the air, while out of his back were eight black wings.

In his left hand was a black staff, which looked like a line of screaming faces that ran up to a black gem on top, while the base of the staff had a round circle with a human skull on it.

A hood was over his head with cloths that went down to his feet, but did not hide his spectral skeleton face, while a three-horned crown on his head with the horns coming out the front of the hood, while his right eye socket glowed with a bright red.

"**_This might've been taken from me, but even in death, this world will be mine, once I remove those who would stand against me._**" Bagra said as he surveyed the city before him, angered that this was the world he was betrayed for, before out stretching his hand, showing his power as, below him, a large army began to march, comprised mostly of warriors made of pure bone, wielding swords and shields as they marched, accompanied by knights in black armour, riding horses that looked like they were mostly armour, save for gaps where a ghost-like mist emanated from their forms, and large constructs made out of bone, all marching towards the edge of the city as its defenders prepared for a battle unlike any other.

In front of the army of the dead, several columns of Odaiba PD, along with their Armoured Corp and their advanced drones, stood with weapons raised, pointing at the threat to the city, while some were shaking in fear at the sight before them.

All around them, the Protectors and StarCorps, along with the Vigilant, who Davis contacted, stood alongside the police, equally fearful and disturbed by this threat, while Azumi, who stood next to Cyberstriker.

Sensing her unnerved state, the tai chi hero then asked Azumi. "You alright?"

"Street thugs, crime bosses, those are my thing, but an army of the undead isn't really my style." The raven haired girl replied, gripping her staff tightly, before she then asked. "You think Kamiya's going to come, or will she just let us all die and watch from the sidelines?"

"Either way, we have to stop Bagra." V-Force said, landing next to the pair as he too surveyed the army, before they noticed a figure in the lead.

Ahead the other forces stood a larger armoured figure, who showed a clear level of higher class due to the torn but regal red cloak flowing down his back, but much like his comrades, he too was a warrior of the undead, with his skeletal face seen by the heroes and heroines, only a set of spiked horns protruded from the skull.

His armour looked more powerful and more durable than the other troops, with several large spikes mounted upon the shoulderplates and running down to his wrists.

And in his possession was a giant axe, requiring two hands to carry due to its size, but with the being's clear inhuman strength, he could wield such a blade with only one.

"What... what is that?" Cosmic Knockout asked in fear as she gazed at the armoured Warrior, before Vixen replied through the calm. "If history is correct, that's Bagra's champion, only referred to as the Deathknight."

The Deathknight then pointed his axe towards the heroes and cops, causing those marching behind to pick up speed as they began to charge at the defenders, with shrieks and other horrid sounds emanating from them as they mindlessly carried out their undead king's will, ready to tear their enemies to pieces.

"Ready, aim..." Cobalt Warrior called out to his fellow officers as they prepared to open fire, many still fearing for their lives at what was coming for them, fearing this would be their end.

However, before the blond hero could call out fire, three large dark portals opened before them as hordes of Stalkers and Brutes charged out, the shadow demons meeting the undead full force as the two armies clashed, with dark warriors, both ground and winged, emerged from the portals to add their strength to the Night Queen's forces.

Quickly looking above, the heroes and cops saw Kari, Psychonis, Shadowknight and Asta in the air above them, where the Night Queen held her staff out, his hands glowing in dark auras, while the Protectors' eyes widened to see Kari's new look.

"Looks like she's given up trying to hide who she is now." Seraph said in a sad tone as he looked over at V-Force, knowing that even though he could not see his friend's face, that Davis was in pain seeing Kari like this.

Looking down, Bagra's rage flared at seeing the armies of the Dark One challenging him, before looking upon the Night Queen, sensing her power, finding that it rivaled his own.

"**_So, my prey has come to me? Very well then._**" The undead king said as he brought up his staff, before parts of his pyramid opened and creatures that looked like undead sphinxes flew out, their eyes glowing the same eerie green as let out shrieks, before flying towards the battlefield.

Acting quickly, Zephyr, Vixen, Songbird, Fireguard, V-Force, Seraph, Dragonheart, HiTech and Responder all took flight, preparing to handle the air forces of Bagra, while allowing the others to combat his remaining undead forces on the ground as Shadowknight and Asta moved to help the heroes on the ground, their leader in the air, and Psychonis landing near the cops as she brought up a barrier to protect them.

"Where's the rest of the Dark Legion?!" Quickshot asked the dark sorceress as she and her fellow officers fired at the undead not being occupied by the shadow demons, having not seen the rest of the Night Queen's followers.

"Oh, they're around, trust me. They'll show up if we need them." Psychonis remarked with a smirk, before she felt a presence approach her, causing her to turn just in time to see the Deathknight upon her, having leaped into the air, ready to bring his axe down upon her barrier.

However, much to Psychonis' joy, the blow was blocked as Shadowknight appeared before her, blocking the blade with his own as he tried to repel the undead knight away from Psychonis.

The Deathknight let out a cry of rage, before a blast of light hit its side, sending it flying back, where Seraph flew in to try and strike at undead warrior, along with Red Nova and Thunderstrike, while nearby, Lilly was using her vines to grab and crush the undead as Azumi, Cyberstriker, DarkBlade, Fighting Fury, Cobalt Warrior, Midnight Raven, Starlight, Shadow Walker, Frequency, Cosmic Knockout and Razor Wolf battled the skeletal constructs, doing what they could to break them apart and keep them from fighting again.

All the while, Shadowknight glared at Deathknight, before rushing in and aiding in the fight with the undead warrior.

Shadowknight didn't understand why, but seeing Deathknight attack Psychonis triggered something inside of him, and he wanted nothing more than to attack and destroy the undead warrior, no matter the cost, finding that while his loyalties remained to the Night Queen, part of him felt he needed to protect Psychonis.

Meanwhile, up in the air, Zephyr did her best to dodge the flying creatures, before accidently bumping into something, quickly turning in the air to see it was Kari, causing her to gulp as she hovered away and started to say. "Sorry, I..."

However, Kari's eyes seemed to glare at her, causing Zephyr to be a little more frightened, especially seeing the almost insane look in her eyes, before the wind heroine's eyes widened in shock and fear as Kari then let out with an angry tone. "Zoe!"

Overcoming her initial rage, Kari then let out a laugh as Zephyr backed up again, before the Night Queen said in a voice of rage and humor. "I must have really been blind to not see it was you all along. It makes perfect sense, since you appeared right when you started at our school."

"Which means..." The Night Queen began to say as she eyed Fireguard, seeing the fire user fighting the flying undead, taking down a few with some longranged blasts, realizing he was Takuya the whole time, which left Kari laughing as she said. "It never occured to me to ask your little friend, Tommy, who you were, that was my mistake."

Hearing Tommy's name, Zephyr couldn't help but glare at Kari, her hands shaking, wanting to pay Kari back for the ordeal everyone had been put through due to her actions, namely wanting payback for Tommy, recalling the mental anguish he went through during and after he was cured of the Mark of Shadows.

"Do you have any idea what you did to him?! Don't you care at all for the harm you've caused?!" Zephyr asked in anger, before Kari glared at her and said in reply. "There is only one person I care for, and you and your little friends stole him from me!"

"We didn't do anything." Vixen cut in as she flew next to the pair, defending their leader as she told Kari. "Davis chose to be a hero and to use his power for the greater good, to help others, that included you."

Nodding to Vixen's words, Zephyr added. "You have no idea how much Davis cares about you. Before you broke his heart, you were one of his main inspirations. He would tell us to fight for those we cared for, and though he never said it, we all knew he was thinking of you."

Kari, however, wasn't listening, but looking intently at Vixen, where she said with spite. "And now I know why a model has been hanging around him. So are you the one who poisoned him against me, Rika Nonaka?"

Looking to her side quickly, the mystic heroine noticed some of her hair coming out from behind her hood, before she glared back and Kari, where Vixen then told her. "Davis found me. He sensed I had a gift and asked me to be a part of his team. No one forced him to fight you, Kari. Everything that happened between you is your fault."

"Lies!" The Night Queen yelled, startling the two girls, before Kari looked at them with an insane look and let out with a continued fury. "All of you... all of you are trying to keep us apart! You stole him from me! And when this is over, I'll make you all pay!"

'She's losing it... Davis was the only thing helping her keep sane, and now she's lost that support...' Vixen thought with worry, fearing what might happen with Kari in her unstable mindset.

Kari was dangerous before, but now, she might be even worse, and even Davis might not be able to reach her.

From Kari's continued outburst, believing she was now a threat to their goals, Songbird flew over and was about to strike the Night Queen, not only to protect her friends, but also as payback for all she had done over the past few years, how it tore Davis inside.

'I won't watch him suffer anymore, not because of a traitorous bitch like you!' Songbird thought, about to strike at the Night Queen, only to stop as V-Force, HiTech, Fireguard and Seraph flew around the group as well, where Kari looked at her former love with impassive eyes.

"Kari, please... please focus on the bigger picture now. We need you to stop Bagra." V-Force pleaded, feeling his own heart breaking as she barely responded, only tightening her grip around her staff, before she turned and faced the pyramid, drawing her attention to the individual floating above it.

"Go, fight his minions and leave him to me." Kari said simply as she began to fly towards the pyramid.

However, frustration filled her as she was V-Force flying next to her.

Confused and a little angered, she asked. "I told you I could handle this. Why are you following me?"

"I am not leaving you to fight him alone. I won't abandon you!" V-Force called out, not caring that he sensed Vixen and Songbird right behind them, not only wanting to help out against the undead king, but to keep Davis safe in the event Kari snapped or turned on them.

"You already did..." Kari merely replied in a neutral tone, causing Davis to flinch at her words, clenching his fists as he believed Zhaitan had warped her mind to believe he was now her enemy.

"Kari..." Davis began to say, wanting to understand Kari's pain, but sensing something powerful ahead of them, the group came to a complete stop in the air as they turned to see that Bagra had closed the distance between them, his power along sending the chill of death down their spines as Songbird and Vixen tried to keep their composure, while the Night Queen and V-Force prepared to fight.

"**_So, it is you two I have sensed, the Ascended. Now it all makes sense._**" Bagra stated with a dark smile appearing on his skeletal face, confusing both V-Force and Kari to what he was talking about, before the undead king then stated. "**_So be it, I will not allow either of you to stand, less the Dark One has his way. You will both die here, at my hands, and my kingdom shall rise again and reign forever._**"

"Think again!" Kari said back, expressing a dark tone of her own as she then declared. "I am the only one here who will conquer this wretched world! I have sacrificed too much to give up my fate, so I'm not going to let some ancient relic like you stop me!"

With her outburst, while Davis felt a growing concern for Kari, Bagra just smiled.

"**_The Dark One has played you well, allowing the darkness inside you to grow beyond its limitations, but it matters not, you will not live long enough for it to be released. I will see to that._**" Bagra replied as he held his hands outstretched, before the pyramid behind him began to shake, breaking apart as even the heroes and villains below and in the air watched as they heard a loud, thunderous roar.

"**_Awaken, my Leviathan... Awaken and cleans these lands of those who defy me!_**" Bagra yelled as the pyramid crumbled away, revealing a horror that frightened many who saw it.

Breaking out from the pyramid's structure, dread filled all, hero and villain alike, at what had emerged, seeing that as the remains of the pyramid shattered away, in its place was a gigantic beast made of bone and decayed flesh, resembling a dragon of sorts.

Living up to its name, the creature was like nothing the Protectors, StarCorps, Vigilant, or the Dark Legion had even seen before, not only finding that amongst the five heads that extended from its body were actually larger than any of the dark creatures the Night Queen had called upon in the past, but with each head, it expressed a terrible and blood chilling stare, with each head set with a pair of menacing green glowing eyes and a long array of sharp fangs.

Running down from the heads, the groups each head connected to an immense dragon-like body, seeing that it had a pair of massive clawed arms and a pair of outstretched, skeletal wings, with spider webbing acting as the membrane to keep it within the skies.

Tendrils from behind extended out of its being, some warping around the others to form what looked like a tail, which swayed about as the Leviathan looked down at its master's foes, where it gave a fearsome roar, ready to destroy everyone and everything before it.

Tensing in fear, the heroes and villains each steeled themselves, knowing the fight against Bagra had only begun.


	19. Chapter 19

Even though the sight of the massive undead dragon was a terrifying sight to all those below, with Azumi more terrified, where she looked down and saw a severed skeletal hand slowly crawling across the ground, before looking around in pure horror to see that the undead soldiers were actually pulling themselves back together, the power of their master sustaining them and allowing them to reform, despite the constant fighting with the shadow demons.

Meanwhile, as the heroes looked at the dragon, feeling slightly unnerved, the feeling grew when they heard a dark, and slightly insane laugh echo around them, looking at the source to see Kari laughing like she had just heard a joke, where the Night Queen's eyes looked at Bagra as she called out. "You think your little pet scares me?! I will show you the true horrors of the Dark Realm!"

Kari then held her staff out, which began to glow with dark energy, before a massive portal opened behind the Odaiba Police forces that were aiding in the battle, who quickly turned as they felt the ground shake beneath them, looking to see something massive emerge from the dark vortex, a sight that caused many to pale in fear.

The creature was as tall, if not taller than most buildings in the city, looking almost human-like, save for its skin, which looked as though it was composed of a dark marble, where cracks throughout the being were exposed, allowing a dark mist to pool out and surround its being.

Jagged spikes came out of its legs, upper arms, shoulders and back, while its face, a true nightmare, had two horns sticking out of the sides, with two lower jaws that opened as the creature let out a loud and near deafening roar.

And at the sight of this creature, only one thought went through the heroes and police officers' minds. 'Not again!'

This was a Shadow Colossus, the same Shadow Demon the Night Queen had summoned before, one that nearly leveled the entire city before it was defeated, and now, seeing the creature once again brought fear to almost everyone who gazed upon it, wondering when, not if the massive demon would turn on them next.

Letting out its own roar, the Leviathan launched one of its heads down to try and attack the Colossus, only for the massive demon to being up its right fist, before slamming it into the dragon's head, sending it reeling back, while the shockwave alone caused windows on buildings and cars even a block away to shatter.

It was then that the winged dark warriors, along with HiTech, Fireguard, Dragonheart, Zephyr, Asta, Starlight, Shadow Walker and Responder went back into the frey, lending their own strengths to try and take the Leviathan down, which seemed to ignore them as it focused its attention on the Colossus, floating down towards it as the massive demon began to move, causing a few officers to freak out as its feet barely missed crushing them.

"Vixen, Songbird." V-Force then called, causing the two to look back at him, seeing Davis, along with Kari, still staring at Bagra, before their leader then instructed. "Go and help the others."

"No! We're not leaving you to fight him alone!" Vixen said with concern, while Songbird then added with a glare at Kari. "And we're not leaving you alone with her."

"Go! I'll be fine. Help the others!" V-Force let out with a more commanding voice and great seriousness, which both heroines picked up on, leaving Vixen and Songbird both frustrated that their leader was going to face Bagra, let alone he was planning to do it with the Night Queen.

But respecting V-Force, both girls gave in.

"Don't die on us." Vixen then said, fearing for Davis' safety, especially after hearing what Bagra called him, trying to understand what an Ascended was, and how both he and Kari were connected by this, before she and Songbird reluctantly flew down to help battle the undead dragon with their friends and allies, leaving the tragic lovers to battle the undead king himself.

"You sure you want your girlfriends to leave you?" Kari asked in a dark tone, sensing their feelings for Davis, while her twisted mind believed they seduced him away from her, only for Davis to simply reply. "You know me better than that."

Hearing a chuckle emerge from the skeletal mouth of Bagra, the pair glared at the undead king as he said. "**_Your paths will always be connected, and if not stopped, could lead to the doom of all things. I will end your lives, and allow you both the peace of death._**"

Meanwhile, down below, as the others remained distracted by Bagra's undead soldiers, Seraph found himself in a situation he never believed he'd ever see, finding himself working alongside Shadowknight as they battled the Deathknight, dodging a swing of his axe as it sent out a great and terrible shockwave of dark green energy, knocking cars back and cutting through some trees that were in the path.

"He's strong, but if we put our heads, I know we can beat him." Seraph said as he turned his attention to Shadowknight.

"**Just don't get in my way.**" Shadowknight declared as he rushed at Deathknight, using his shield to block a swing of its axe, before bringing his sword up for a strike, slashing part of Bagra's champion's face mask, where the same eerie green energy that was seen in the other undead soldiers could be seen slipping out of the cracks.

But ignoring the damage, Deathknight brought his right foot up and slammed it into Shadowknight's stomach, sending him skidding back a few feet, before showing no mercy as the undead knight lunged at Shadowknight.

Remaining in place as he expected to be struck down, Seraph appeared before him, jumping over Shadowknight's body and casting out a set of powerful blasts of light, striking Deathknight and pushing Bagra's champion back, not only damaging the wicked warrior, but allowing Shadowknight to compose himself.

"Can I ask you something?" Seraph then asked as he dodged a swing from Deathknight's axe, looking at Shadowknight in the process.

"**Speak.**" Shadowknight merely said in reply as his blade clashed against Deathknights', finding that though both were creations of darkness, Deathknights' strength seemed greater than his own.

"Who are you? Really? You're not a shadow demon, we've seen your face." Seraph asked, trying to make some light conversation and sate his curiosity at the same time, while fighting their common enemy.

"**Who or what I am is unimportant.**" Shadowknight said back, focusing on their fight as he used Deathknight's strength against him, backing aside, where the undead knight smashed his axe down, allowing Shadowknight to deliver a swift cut to his side.

"**I was summoned to serve my Mistress, and that is what I shall do.**" Shadowknight then told Seraph simply, finding Seraph's questioning a waste of time and that their objective in slaying Deathknight remained top priority.

"Could have fooled me with how you acted when he attacked Psychonis." Seraph said as he brought his hands out, firing blasts of light energy at Deathknight's form, sending it staggering back more as his armour began to crack in various places.

"**She also serves my Mistress. The status of her survival is crucial to my Mistress.**" Shadowknight replied as he brought up his shield to once again block Deathknight's axe, though deep within, he felt something when Psychonis was brought up, as if she was more important in his view than to the Night Queen's.

But ignoring such thoughts and focusing on the status of the fight, Shadowknight saw a gap between his defences and Deathknight's offence, where he drew his sword forward, plunging it into the under section of Deathknight's armour, before casting out the dark energies in his blade and releasing them within Deathknight's being, causing a massive section of his armour to erupt and burst open, revealing it to be hollow, save the swirling form of the necromantic energy sustaining him.

Acting quickly, seeing his own opening, Seraph then allied his enemy as he gathered all his energy into one, powerful blast, firing the light energy into the opening and causing the Deathknight to let out a shriek of rage, before its armour dissolved and its corrupt spirit faded away, leaving a scorched section of the ground where Bagra's champion once stood.

"Way to go." Seraph said, finding a small respect for Shadowknight, who didn't return such emotion.

"**Focus on the battle, not questions you have no use for.**" Shadowknight said back, flying off the rejoin the rest of the battle, causing Seraph to sigh as he thought. 'Figures.'

While their allies remained in battle, V-Force and the Night Queen focused all their attention on Bagra, both wanting to stop him for different reasons of course, while Davis wanted to know what Bagra was talking about, as if the ancient king knew something about both of them that not even they knew themselves.

Deciding not to tiptoe around Bagra's words, V-Force questioned. "Why did you call us Ascended? What does that mean?"

"**_It only brings certainty that I will destroy you, that is all that should matter to you in your last moments of life. Your fates as the Dark Ones' pawns ends now._**" Bagra said in reply as his skeletal hands began to glow with a dark green energy.

"If you think you can mess with our heads, think again you old bag of bones! I am no one's pawn!" Kari yelled in anger, while one thing Bagra said caused Davis' eyes to widen as he thought. 'Dark Ones?! As in plural? But I thought there was only Zhaitan.'

However, before V-Force could question further, Bagra help his left hand out, unleashing a blast of dark green energy at the hero, only for Kari to move in front of him, casting a powerful barrier of dark energy to protect them where, much to his shock, Davis watched Kari groan as Bagra's attack slammed into her barrier, causing him to realize how powerful Bagra must be if the Night Queen was having trouble against him.

"Focus on the fight or you'll get yourself killed." Kari said in an annoyed tone, but inside, she was panicking, wishing Davis would leave as she thought. 'Please leave... you can't die... You need to see the world I want to make for us...'

Moving quickly, V-Force then shot around Kari, launching himself at Bagra as he extended his light blades, reach to strike the undead king down, only to be surprised as Bagra used his staff and held his attack back, not even flinching as Davis tried to push against him, before his eyes widened as he saw the red lights in Bagra's eye sockets begin to glow.

Quickly ducking, V-Force barely missed the powerful blast of energy that shot out of Bagra's eyes, before moving as he saw a skeletal hand coming towards him, one glowing in dark green energy, where the hero felt it would not end well for him if it touched him.

But finding Kari keeping an eye on him, V-Force found the brunette counter the attack as she moved before Davis, casting out a dark wall of energy which clashed against Bagra's skeletal hand, causing the Night Queen to give a pained groan at the energy she had to use, alongside the necromantic energies striking against her.

"Damn you!" Kari yelled as her eyes glowed red, where Davis saw her use a familiar attack as five shadowy dragon heads formed out of her back, looking towards Bagra, where each opened their maws and cast off a series of dark energy blasts at Bagra, who held his hand out as he countered most of them, but moved back a few feet.

However, much to V-Force and the Night Queen's surprise, seven similar snake-like heads, each made of the same dark green energy Bagra commanded, emerged for his back, firing necrotic blasts at the pair, with Davis moving out of the way, while Kari focused her fire power to match Bagra's, their energies clasing in the air as they were slowly being pushed back to Kari.

"No!" Davis let out, knowing that though Kari and the Night Queen were the same person, he still needed to protect her, before gathering his own light energy and firing a blast at Bagra's side, where the undead king held his left hand out, firing another blast that collided with V-Force's energy, leaving Davis and Kari in a power struggle with Bagra, one they were losing.

Below them, the Leviathan had moved back from close combat with the Colossus, gathering a large amount of dark green energy within its mouths, firing a combined blast to hit its foe, while the Colossus held out its hands as dark purple energy gathered in them, firing an equally large blast that collided with the undead dragon's causing everyone below to try and shield themselves as best they could from the shockwaves and energy coming off of the attacks.

"Damn it! They're going to tear the city apart without even trying!" Fighting Fury yelled as he tried to shield Quickshot from the energies, before swinging his fist at an undead soldier that came at him, shattering it to pieces, before it began to reassemble itself, where he added. "We have to stop this soon because we can't last much longer."

Agreeing with her boyfriend, Quickshot said. "All we can do now is hope V-Force and the Night Queen pull through for us."

But looking toward the duo, though she couldn't make an exact perception of the battle, things were not looking well for their allies.

Remaining high above the heroes and villains, Bagra's attack, along with their own dying down, Davis and Kari were panting heavily, frustrated at the sight of their opponent was unharmed, while Bagra merely glanced at the pair.

"**_I applaud your strength, but I had spent many years of my mortal life preparing myself to battle both of you, and I will not be stopped._**" Bagra declared, gathering a great energy in his hands as he prepared to attack and destroy the two, who glared back at him with anger.

'It can't end like this... I can't lose... I have to save Kari...' Davis thought in urgency, while Kari thought in rage. 'It can't... It won't end like this! Not when I'm so close... not when I'm so close to showing Davis that I'm right!'

Suddenly, both V-Force and the Night Queen felt something awaken inside of them, feeling their powers rising, while Bagra tilted his head, sensing the power as well as he thought. '**_More of their powers are awakening..._**'

It was in that moment that Kari's body became consumed in a dark aura, while a black mist covered her head and arms, leaving only a pair of glowing red eyes emerging from her hood, where a similar state befell Davis, with his wings growing larger, the eyes of his helmet glowing a bright light, while a cape of pure light formed around his back.

"What... what is this?" Davis asked in a great confusion, not only feeling the surge of light energy, but deep inside him, he also felt a strong dark power, one that reminded him of Kari's own.

"How... How is this happening? The ritual hasn't... but... but I can feel Davis' power inside me... part of me..." Kari started to question, not only feeling a surge of her own dark powers, but feeling, even if faint, a powerful pull of the light.

Meanwhile, each of those connected to their own links between magic below sensed the power, looking up in shock and surprise to see what was happening to Davis and Kari.

'What... what's happening to them?" Psychonis wondered, sensing the energies of her Mistress not only increasing, but also filling V-Force, leaving her somewhat concerned, a similar thought going through Vixen's mind as she remembered Bagra calling the pair 'Ascended' and wondered what that truly meant.

At the sight and sensing their powers, acting quickly, as if nervous, Bagra resummoned his serpent heads, firing blasts of energy at the pair, only for the V-Force and the Night Queen to quickly disappear, reappearing before him, with Kari then raising her staff to strike and Davis drawing his right blade.

Raising his left arm to defend himself, Bagra quickly brought up a barrier of his necromantic energy, only for his eyes to widen as their attacks not only broke through the barrier, but severed his left arm from the elbow down, causing the ancient king to let out an inhuman shriek as he backed away, swinging his staff around and summoning several blasts of energy, resembling screaming skulls, which shot out towards the pair.

However, V-Force just swing his left arm in an arc, sending out a wave of light energy that cut through the oncoming attacks as though they were nothing, before moving close and swinging once more, severing Bagra's right arm, causing him to cry out once again as he watched his lost limb and staff plummet to the earth, dissolving into dust on the way down, leaving his necromantic energies to pool out of his missing limbs.

"**_You... you two will bring ruin and death not just to this world... but to all that exists... I would have created an eternity of peace in this world..._**" Bagra said in anger as his eyes glared at the two.

"Save it. We've heard the whole utopia world speech before, from every other despot that thinks they know what's best for everyone. Your own subjects rebelled against you, knowing the cost, just because they're rather die free than live in a world where they are slaves. This ends now." Davis said back with determination as he brought his right arm up, where light energy gathered in his grasp.

"As I said before, you're a relic, your desires, your plans are nothing more than the dust you clawed your way out of. A new era is rising, and you have no place in it." Kari then said as she brought her left hand up, close to Davis' right, as dark energy gathered in it.

Neither knew exactly why they were doing it, only knowing that they needed to do this, as if their bodies were acting on their own as they tightened their hands around the other, feeling the energy in their raised hands growing and filled with the opposing energy.

From light came darkness and darkness came light.

But focusing on Bagra, seeing that despite his damaged state, the dark green energy formed around his being, growing into a large skeletal head as it let out a shriek of rage and defiance at the pair.

"**_You two will die before me!_**" He yelled as the skeletal head shot towards V-Force and the Night Queen, who remained in place, refusing to break their embrace or flee.

And acting as one, Davis and Kari cast out a great stream of light and dark energy from their hands, finding the light and darkness starting off as a pair of separate attacks, only to form a helix-like formation as they twisted and wrapped around the other, as if assisting the other to their path, where the combined energy collided with Bagra's necromantic powers and shattered it, leaving Bagra in a bewildered state to see his power outmatched, before the same energy collided with his own being, where the undead king letting out one final, painful shriek as his body and spirit dissolved into nothing.

With his end, the Leviathan let out its own cry as the dark green energy within it died out, its body dissolving into dust, along with all the undead around it, unable to hold their forms without their Master present, causing the heroes and cops to start cheering.

Davis, meanwhile, despite trying to still understand his new power, turned to look at Kari, only to see her missing, before he heard one of the cops below cry out. "Watch out!"

In a sudden rush of panic, the police all moved out of the way as the Colossus turned and began to walk into the city, crushing some of the police vehicles on the way, as the Shadow Demons all rushed after it, where the heroes looked to see Psychonis, Shadowknight and Asta missing, before seeing five pillars of dark energy shoot out from different corners of Odaiba, their energies creating a massive dark portal over the city.

While more questions arose, the Protectors, StarCorps and Vigilant then saw something materialize above the city, as though having been invisible beforehand, giving them their first look at the Dark Legion's fortress as it hovered over the sky.

"Dammit! She used us! We did most of the fighting while she moved her forces into position." Cobalt Warriors growled, realizing they had been played, and now, whatever the Night Queen's endgame was, it was happening now.


	20. Chapter 20

Panic and terror ran through the streets of Odaiba as the citizens ran for their lives from the rampant Shadow Demons invading the area.

Trying to find shelter, it was anarchy as dozens of Nightmares and smaller creatures, resembling Stalkers with wings, flew out of the portal and around the city, while the Colossus walked around without any care, leaving the Stalkers and Brutes to roam around freely and continue to spread their own forms of evil.

Meanwhile, columns of Dark Warriors marched throughout the streets, with Shadowknight at their lead, before he drew his blade upward, causing the dark armoured demons to break ranks and charge at the remaining police who stayed in the city as protection during Bagra's assault.

This was the scene the Protectors, Vigilant, StarCorps and police forces beheld when they made it back into the city, causing the defenders of Odaiba to spring into action as they engaged the Shadow Demons.

"Ok, am I missing something here? Didn't the Night Queen try this stunt already?" Frequency asked as he dodged the swing of a Stalker's claw, using the speakers on his wrists to send out a sonic blast, sending the creature flying back and crashing into several others, while remembering two years prior when the dark sorceress opened a similar portal over Odaiba and unleashed an army on the city.

"No, this is different. I think opening the portal was only part of it, and those pillars of dark energy are crucial to whatever Kari really has planned." Vixen replied through the comms, looking up at the dark fortress as it floated above the city, before looking down, seeing Shadowknight, Psychonis, Deathstrike, Asta, Dark Hawk, Fang, Stryker, Dark Ivy, Charm Mistress, Fusionist and Ironfist walking towards them as the Shadow Demons rushed passed them towards the heroes and police.

Meanwhile, sensing Kari's energy, Davis looked up towards the fortress, seeing her and Red Phoenix walking along the fortress' roof as she made her way towards the center of the floating structure, realizing that it must be the spot of whatever this ritual was supposed to do, causing him to look around, before clenching his fist as he came to a decision.

"Guys, hold them off. Dragonheart and I will go after Kari and stop this." V-Force said to the others, getting nods from the various heroes and heroines, before the two took off to the air, while those remaining behind looked at the Legion, with Seraph glaring at Fang.

"Damn, that idiot's going to wish I killed him instead." Fang said with a small hostility, desiring to settle their little match once and for all, wanting to defeat Dragonheart and end his existence.

"But it looks like we'll get to end all your little lives instead." The masked Villain then said to the rest of the heroes and heroines, earning dark laughs and chuckles from the rest of the Dark Legion.

"Think again, we have you outnumbered." Fireguard said as he set his fists ablaze and got ready to fight, along with the rest of the Protectors, StarCorps and Vigilant, only for Deathstrike to laugh in reply, confusing some at the outburst, before the Shadow Demons around them all began to shriek and the Dark Warriors slammed their weapons against their shields in a war chant.

"You might want to recount, hotshot." The gunman said confidently, before asking with a continued arrogance. "How do you think you can stop us now?"

"As a team." Responder said in reply, getting nods from the others as they rushed out to meet their enemies head on, the actions causing Shadowknight to retaliate, drawing his sword toward the heroes and heroines, where the Demons charged ahead, followed by the Villains, ready to end things once and for all.

Meanwhile, above all the fighting, the Night Queen and Red Phoenix were making their way down the middle section of the fortress, towards the top of the inner sanctum, where Kari would complete the ritual and begin her ascension.

But all the while, the brunette was deep in thought, not only at her increased power that seemed to come from nowhere, but the small though powerful presence of light within her, light that reminded her of Davis' own.

'What does this mean? Why... why do I have that power as well...?' The Night Queen thought as she brought her now dark covered left hand up, clenching her fist as she could still feel that light.

"Mistress?" Red Phoenix cut in, expressing a small concern in her voice, before stating. "Whatever is troubling you, I am sure it will fade once the ritual is over."

"Maybe..." Kari said with a small sigh, before sensing a familiar presence, turning with a growl as V-Force and Dragonheart landed behind them.

But before anyone could say or do anything, Dragonheart yelled out. "Kari, please stop this!"

The armoured hero then took his helmet off, revealing Tai's true face, who didn't see Red Phoenix tense as Kari started to laugh insanely. "Oh course my own brother would stand against me!"

"Kari, I know the pain you felt when we lost our parents, but all of this won't bring them back. Do you think they would be happy to see how you turned out?" Tai questioned, hating the sight of what he thought was the sweet and caring brunette he thought was his sister, seeing her as this dark and terrible figure.

"It doesn't matter what they would think, they're dead, gone. This world brings only pain and suffering, so I'm going to wipe it out and make a new one, a better one!" Kari yelled back, her red eyes glowing brightly as she said this.

"Please listen to me. We might be enemies, but I'm still your brother, and I still care about you. I'm sorry I didn't protect you better, I'm sorry I didn't do more to help you in your pain. We have already lost our parents, I don't want to lose you, too." Tai pleaded, trying to get through to his sister, hoping there was still good hidden behind all the darkness of the Night Queen, but the way her red eyes narrowed through the dark mist that covered her face, he knew he wasn't getting through to her.

"My pain has made me into who I am. It has made me stronger and given me power you could never imagine." Kari said back, before adding in a more sinister tone. "You might think I'm still your defenseless little sister, but I gave up that side of me long ago, so if you think I won't kill you if you try to stop me, you best think again."

Keeping her dark smile, the Night Queen then added. "Besides, I've been the one protecting you, keeping your life the way you wanted it and with a certain someone to keep you company."

Kari then looked at Red Phoenix, confusing Tai and Davis, until the fiery villainess reach up and took her mask off, causing Davis' eyes to widen, while Tai felt numb, seeing that Red Phoenix was in fact the love of his life, where Sora looked at them with a neutral face.

"Keep them both from following me." Kari then said as she turned and continued to walk down the pathway.

"As you command, my Mistress." Sora replied with respect in her voice, before facing Davis and Tai, who stood still as both tried to wrap their heads around what they were seeing.

Shook up at the sight, to know that his girlfriend was also part of the Dark Legion, Tai could feel the despair within him continuing to grow, but knowing there was so much more to lose, the brunette pushed past his own thoughts and feelings.

"Davis... go after Kari, this is my fight." He then said in a voice devoid of emotions as he continued to stare at Sora, his tone worrying Davis, knowing the pain Tai must be going through, but nodded nonetheless, igniting his wings and taking off, finding it odd that Sora didn't try and stop him, only continue to stare at Tai with an indifferent look on her face.

"I'm only going to say this once, move out of the way." Tai said as he clenched his fist, feeling betrayed and not in the mood to deal with the pain he was feeling.

"Turn and leave, Tai, it's for the best. I don't want to hurt you." Sora replied, looking down to the point that he could not see her eyes as she said. "Please... please run... I..."

"I'm not going anywhere, not until this madness stops!" Tai said back, growing frustrated, before he noticed Sora's body shaking a little.

"Please... please run... I... I..." Sora started to say, before her head snapped up, causing Tai's eyes to widen at what he saw, seeing the same Mark of Shadows Kari had used on Tommy and Davis, as well as seeing her eyes glazed over and a dark smirk on her face, before realization hit the brunette, that his sister had been controlling Sora for years.

"I must obey my Mistress!" Sora then said in a wicked tone as her hands burst into flames, while her hair moved in a fiery way, causing Tai to step back a little, realizing that he had a fight on his hands.

-Meanwhile-

Below, the heroes and heroines found themselves not only clashing against the Night Queen's dark creatures, but many of those who pledged their loyalties to the corrupt magic user were picking fights with certain individuals, having scores to settle and vengeance to clear up, one instance of this was that Lilly found herself once again facing Dark Ivy, finding that with this being what could be the Night Queen's moment of triumph, her fellow plant user wasn't holding back her power, to the point she had allowed her powers to literally consume her, finding Dark Ivy had allowed a giant flytrap-like plant to emerge from the ground and consume her, only to the reveal the wicked plant user fused within its maw.

But refusing to give up, to allow Dark Ivy and her new form to roam free, Lilly fought past her initial shock and fought back, casting out a line of spike tipped vines at what Dark Ivy had become, only to watch as the vines stopped and split in half, falling before her.

"I have evolved. I have grown a deeper bond with all plantlife. Nothing you do can stop me." Dark Ivy told Lilly, before striking back as she released a set of smaller flytraps from the ground and at Lilly, each snapping their maws as they prepared to strike and tear Lilly apart.

However, before the plants could even reach her, the first was enveloped in a powerful aura of light and darkness, causing it to hiss and thrash around, unable to withstand the energies against it as it rotted away, while the second smashed into the ground as a powerful fist struck upon the top of its head, slamming right through it and causing its sap to spill out.

From her fused form, Dark Ivy gave a small snarl, annoyed to see Lilly had allies to help her even the odds in their fight, looking to see Starlight and Shadow Walker then land beside the pink haired heroine, while Cosmic Knockout pulled her fist out of the plant, shaking it off and expressing a more disgusted look from the green colour ooze covering her hand.

"Ok. Plant insides are just gross." Cosmic Knockout commented, causing the other girls to giggle, before Lilly smirked and said. "They're not all that bad, I'm sure you liked those flowers Tora got you."

"Yeah, it was very sweet of Tora..." Cosmic began to say, expressing a more sweet side to her only to then shake her head and question with a defensiveness. "Wait, how did you know about that? Did Frequency say anything?"

"Didn't know he was Frequency at the time." Lilly said with an innocent smile, before Cosmic's eyes widened as she realized Tora must have gotten the flowers from the older heroine without realizing it.

The four then heard Dark Ivy let out a scream of rage as four large vines came out of the ground, with smaller flytraps at their tips, which opened up, firing globs of acid at the heroes.

"We can gossip later." Shadow Walker cut in, focusing her dark powers as she held back the attacks as best she could.

"Agreed. Right now we need to uproot Dark Ivy." Starlight added as she used her light energies to repel Dark Ivy's acidic attacks.

"But how can I help?" Lilly questioned, where she then explained. "Despite Dark Ivy's ugly transformation, she has complete control over all the plants, including any I call upon. The plants won't listen to me anymore."

Dodging the acid spat at her, Cosmic Knockout jumped back and landed beside Lilly, expressing a confident smile as she said. "Lilly, you have to stay strong. Look, I don't know much about plants, but I know you share a bond with them that Dark Ivy could never understand. She only uses plants to cause pain, you use them to help others, to make others smile. If you continue to hold that trust and love, I know the plants will listen."

Listening to Cosmic and hearing the sincerity of her words, with the pink haired Vigilant secretly using the feelings she held when presented with Tora's flowers, Lilly gave a small smile, not only trusting in Cosmic's words, but in herself.

And though things took a continued turn, with Dark Ivy's thorny vines suddenly shooting around the heroines and about to strike down, Lilly remained strong.

"You poor things have been through so much pain. Hear my voice and help me end your suffering." Lilly said softly as she held her arms out, feeling the vines slowing down and listening to her, feeling their confliction as they wriggled around, unsure of what to do.

"What's going on?" Dark Ivy cut in, confused to the sight, where she then snapped. "I want those wretches to become plant food! Attack, destroy them, do something!"

At that moment, the vines stopped their writhing, causing Dark Ivy to smirk, thinking she was back in control, before her eyes widened and shock filled her as the vines turned and launched at her, tearing through her flytrap fused body and causing Dark Ivy to cry out from the actions, with the top half of her form shaking.

"Stop! Don't attack me! Listen to me!" Dark Ivy cried out with a shaky and panic filled voice, before the vines severed the body of her form, causing the top to come crashing on the ground and her real body to slide out amongst a massive pool of green ooze.

But before the villainess could stand, she saw Lilly calmly point her right index finger at her, where the vines them quickly shot and wrapped themselves around Ivy's form, covering her body up to her neck and lifting her into the air, where the blonde villainess cried out in rage as she tried to break free from her restraints, finding her powers no longer working and causing her to cry out even louder.

'Hold crap! All that cheerleading garbage really does work!' Cosmic Knockout thought in awe as she watched what had occured, looking over to see the serene look on Lilly's face as she smiled, before the plant based heroine said to the others. "Come on, we still have a city to save."

The three other heroines nodded to Lilly's words and took off after a squad of officers came to make sure Dark Ivy remained contained, ready to continue helping the fight against the Night Queen and the Dark Legion.

As the heroines had worked together, to take on Dark Ivy, Darkblade found she too wasn't alone as she fought Dark Hawk.

While the pair had started out solo, their blades continued to clash in their battle, Dark Hawk gained the upper hand in the fight, showing no honour as she intentionally lead their fight to a stalemate, wanting Darkblade to lock blades with her so she could deliver a few swift and painful knee jabs to the purple haired heroine's stomach, before spinning around and knocking her on her butt with a sweep kick.

Pointing her blade to the heroines' face, behind her mask, Dark Hawk gave a sinister grin as she prepared to end their battle, only to stop as Darkblade asked through the small pain she still felt. "Where's your sense of honour?"

"Honour? I don't need such a thing. In case you forgot, this is a life or death battle for my Lady." Dark Hawk said in reply, continuing to stare down Darkblade. "And it looks as though his battle will lead to your death."

With a dark glee, Dark Hawk brought her blade up, ready to impale the girl below her, to end her life once and for all.

But before she could bring her blade down, Dark Hawk noticed an oncoming attack in the corner of her eye, causing her to swing her blade to deflect a kunai, thinking little of the attack, until noticing the paper seal attached to it, seeing it sizzling away, before detonating, casting out an intense light, blinding Dark Hawk and allowing Darkblade to get back to her feet, delivering her own kick as she hit her opponent in the stomach, which caused the villainess to stagger back a few feet.

Giving off a small snarl as her sight returned, Dark Hawk glared at the individual that now stood next to Darkblade, seeing Midnight Raven standing beside the purple haired heroine with his kunai out and ready to strike.

"If my training has taught me anything, there is always time for honour." The ninja hero said as he glared at Dark Hawk, where he told her. "And people like you just burn me up."

"My, you two make a cute couple." The assassin said with a laugh as she brought both her blades out, her knife wings extending as she prepared to fight.

"I already have a boyfriend/girlfriend." Both young heroes said in unison, causing them to look at one another for a moment, shrugging a little, before focusing back on the fight at hand, with Midnight Raven renewing their fight as he drew a handful of smoke bombs from his pouch and threw them around Dark Hawk, concealing her surroundings in a smokescreen.

But even with the obstruction, Dark Hawk showed her skills as she avoided each sword slash and ninja trick Darkblade and Midnight Raven delivered, finding the duo managing to not only fight past the smokescreen, but express a form of teamwork in their actions.

Extending her wingblades out, Dark Hawk swung the left wing upward, not only sweeping aside the obstructions around her, but this forced Darkblade to jump back, barely missing the strike, while the right swung to the side, causing Midnight Raven to jump back into to miss the swing, both heroes moving back

"You two have skill, I'll give you that." Dark Hawk confessed, only to then say with a growing darkness as she readied her blades. "But my skills are greater, and I will kill the both of you."

Seeing the pair once more rushing at her, Dark Hawk brought her wingblades up to strike them down, swinging them quickly, only for her eyes to widen as the pair not only ducked in time, but swing their katana and kunai respectively, slicing into the part of her suit where her wingblades connected, causing the two metal objects to fall off of her body, before bringing her sword up to block the follow up strike from the pair.

Finding her arrogance fading and turning to frustration, Dark Hawk was forced to use both blades to repel the hero and heroine, noticing the pair distancing between one another as to divert her focus and to give them the upper hand.

"It doesn't matter what you do. I have trained through the most intense regiments, building up my mind and my body, sharpening my skills so I can handle anything my opponent..." Dark Hawk started to say in an arrogant tone, only to get knocked back, realizing that Darkblade had used her left fist and slammed it hard into her face, not only causing her beak mask to call off, but for her to drop her blades as she stumbled back from the hit.

"Bet you didn't see that coming." Darkblade said with a smirk, before Midnight Raven quickly acted, reaching into his pouch and taking two ropes attached to metal orbs, throwing them at Dark Hawk, with one quickly wrapping around her arms and waist and the other binding her feet together, causing the assassin to groan as she fell onto her back.

Feeling more anger than anything, disgusted by such a humiliating attack, Dark Hawk thrashed against the ropes holding her, where she yelled. "You little snakes! Let me go or I swear I will make you suffer! I won't just kill you, I'll make sure to prolong your deaths!"

"Sorry, but you're not going to be able to, not from your prison cell anyway." Midnight Raven said in reply, just as several officers, who had waited in the distance, came over and surrounded the villainess, causing her to cry out in growing rage and anger.

Above, at the sound of Dark Hawk's rage filled scream, Stryker, who was in his tech armour fighting HiTech, suddenly turned his head down.

Seeing his girlfriend defeated and surrounded by cops, caused his emotions to get to him, where he yelled out. "No!"

But before he could do anything, two blasts of energy crashed into him, his shields activating and absorbing most of the damage, before he turned and glared at HiTech, just as Responder floated next to him, both tech heroes looked ready to fight.

"So the little leader of the Vigilant came to fight?" Stryker asked, expressing a clear arrogance toward the younger tech hero, who ignored the insulting tone and focused himself.

Through his visor, Responder managed to analyze some of the suit Stryker was wearing, but found he had to ask. "HiTech, what's up with his suit?"

"It's made of nanites, part of the tech that was stolen from KnightCorps." HiTech replied, still trying to figure out how they could stop the villain, but no ideas came to mind.

"Oh, ok then!" Responder let out with a growing confidence, confusing HiTech, before the Vigilant leader activated his comms, contacting his team, where he asked. "Frequency, can you send up one of you disc speakers to us?"

"Oh? Want to party up there, do you, Responder?" Frequency asked with a grin, before turning away from the group of Shadow Demons he managed to incapacitate, drew his arm up and shot a small speaker upward, firing it to the tech hero who caught the item and said through the comms. "Thanks!"

"No sweat, buddy." Frequency said in reply, before finding the Shadow Demons he had taken down had summoned back up, bringing another grin to Frequency's face as he surrounded his arms in sonic energy and declared. "Now it's time to turn up the frequency!"

With his teammate and friend returning to his fight, Responder did the same.

"I'm guessing you have a plan?" HiTech then asked with curiosity in his voice, before he saw a holographic display appear on Responder's arm, holding the device, and the device itself looking like blue holographic circuitry running through it.

"If it's KnightCorps' tech as the base, then yep." Responder replied, before the pair quickly separated, dodging a blast of energy from Stryker's arms, before the tech villain rushed at the duo with his energy blades extended.

"Whatever you two are scheming, it won't work!" Stryker declared, swinging his energy blades with a more aggressive stance, taking out the fury he was feeling to know his girlfriend was beaten, wanting to get some vengeance for her defeat.

While most girls liked flowers and chocolates as gifts, Stryker knew the bodies of the tech heroes would make Dark Hawk smile.

"Get his attention!" Responder quickly called out, causing HiTech to nod as he held his hands out, firing blasts of energy at the villain, causing Stryker to turn towards him, wanting to rid himself of his so-called rival once and for all.

However, unbeknownst to him, Responder, with the speaker still set in his hand, flew behind him, pointing the device at the villain's back, before casting out a shockwave of blue energy out from his chest piece, concentrating the energy within the speaker and the modification he made, releasing the combined attacks into one great blast of sonic energy.

Once the energy hit Stryker's back, the effects were instantaneous, where the villain's eyes widened as his tactical display went haywire, and he found he could not move his suit at all.

"What... what the hell is happening?!" Stryker yelled, before his eyes widened further as he could feel it, his suit was breaking apart, with his wings deactivating, causing him to start to plummet to the ground.

Working with the time they had left, HiTech and Responder then fired a combined blast of energy at Stryker, slamming into the falling villain and pushing him down to the ground, his suit dissolving completely, leaving the villain on the ground, his normal suit in tatters as he groaned in pain, where several cops quickly moved in to apprehend him.

"Knight installed a lot of failsafes into his tech in the event it ever landed in the wrong hands. Infiltrator gave us the shutdown signal a while ago. Glad it still works." Responder informed, causing HiTech to smile, not only at the young hero's genius, but also at seeing Stryker apprehended.

But wasting no time, the two heroes then looked to where else they were needed and took off.

The battle for Odaiba had only begun.


	21. Chapter 21

As the fighting continued across Odaiba, Cyberstriker found himself once again in combat with Ironfist, the cybernetic villain not letting up his assaults as he tried to finish the tai chi hero off once and for all, only to be annoyed by the interface as Azumi leapt in to help, using her staff to try and deliver a blow, only for the villain to block with his large robotic arm.

Despite it being two on one, Ironfist continued to repel the duo as he distanced himself between the pair, retracted his blade and withdrew a blaster stored within, surprising Cyberstriker and Azumi at this new weapon, before the pair quickly regained their focus as a rain of fire was cast down upon them.

"This ends now. I spent my life training to be the best, then a pointless accident took my arm, but opened opportunities for me, allowing me to become stronger than ever, strong enough to catch Her attention... so that one day, I could take down all you pathetic heroes and show the world I'm the best! And today, today they will all see it!" Ironfist yelled as he continued to fire at the pair, focusing more on Cyberstriker, wanting to get rid of the one, who in his mind, stood the most against him over the years.

"Talk about holding a grudge." Azumi then remarked, gracefully avoiding what attacks she could, while using her staff to repel those that came too close to her form.

"Ironfist, you could've done so much with your abilities, you could've helped others instead of yourself." Cyberstriker said, feeling some empathy for the villain as he continued to keep back.

"There's no point in helping the weak. The strong survive while the weak perish, now perish before me!" The cybernetic villain yelled as he brought his arm up, the cannon gathering massive amounts of energy in it, enough, as far as the tai chi hero could tell, to level the entire block they were fighting on.

"We need to act fast and take him out together!" Cyberstriker said as he looked at Azumi, seeing the raven haired girl nod and reply with continued trust, respect and care. "Take the lead."

Both moving in sync, Cyberstriker took the lead as the rushed at Ironfist, who was bringing his arm down to fire at him, only for Azumi to quickly appear next to him, delivering a swift kick to the bottom of his arm, forcing it to point upwards as he fired, the blast of energy hitting a Nightmare that happened to be flying above, tearing right through the shadow creature at the immense energies released.

Then, rounding herself to deliver another kick, in time with Cyberstriker's fist, the pair delivered a combined attack right at Ironfist's face, not only sending him flying back, crashing into a wall nearby, but also knocking him unconscious in the process.

"Ouch... ok was his face also made of metal?" Azumi asked as she bent down and rubbed her leg, feeling like she just kicked a brick wall, causing Cyberstriker to chuckle a little, which turned nervous as he saw Azumi glare at him, gulping, before the pair saw a large number of Stalkers rushing towards them, reminding them that the fight wasn't over yet.

"C'mon, let's handle these things together." Azumi said, giving a small smile behind her mask as she told the tai chi hero. "We make a good team, and I want to keep it that way."

A little surprised by Azumi's tone, recalling their first encounter and how distant she used to be, Cyberstriker gave a small smile, not only glad to have Azumi fighting with him, but the sense of trust she held continued to encourage him on, where the two then moved in to battle the shadow demons heading for them, while the masked girl thought to herself. 'Maybe joining the heroes isn't so bad after all...'

Meanwhile, with Dragonheart not available, Fang took it upon himself to deal with the lesser authorities of law, cutting through their lines and destroying their robotic reinforcements, all the while, looking up and smirking at the growing inferno of flame he saw on one part of the fortress roof, knowing that his nemesis would soon be cinders.

'TK... I hope you found somewhere safe to hide...' Fang then thought as he looked around, seeing frightened civilians either running for their lives or cowering in fear, feeling some guilt and sympathy for them.

But refocusing, knowing he had his own role to play for the Night Queen, as he was about to cut down one of the officers in front of him, only for a blast of light energy to slam into his chest, sending him skidding back a few feet, were he looked up and was surprised to see Seraph land in front of him, a sword of light in one hand, where the hero said in a determined voice. "Your fight's with me, Fang."

"You? Don't make me laugh, angel boy." Fang said back dismissively, crossing his arms as he asked. "Dragonheart can't even take me down, why should I worry about a weakling like you?"

Seraph didn't reply with words but action, surprising Fang as he quickly shot at him, slamming into his chest, before quickly lifting the pair up into the air, launching them up to the rooftops, before slamming Fang onto the ground, causing him to cough a little as he got up.

"Lucky shot, but next time..." Fang began to say, only to find himself cut mid sentence when Seraph slammed his right fist into his stomach, almost causing Fang to heave at the impact, feeling a continued pain fill him as the angelic hero continued to attack him, as if releasing a dark rage he never knew of.

"Ok, that's it..." Fang said, managing to back away from another swing from Seraph, where he then gathered his energies and yelled with a fury of his own. "You asked for it, brat!"

His energy gathering around his arms, creating blue energy-like wolf claws, before Fang rushed at Seraph, who used his sword to try and block the attack, only for Fang to strike it with his right claw, while sweeping his left claw at Seraph's side, not only causing him great pain, but sending him flying to the side, skidding on the ground a little.

But shaking off Fang's attack, Seraph quickly landed on his feet, just as he blocked another claw attack and tried to counter with a swing of his blade, only to find Fang bring his claws up to shield himself.

As Seraph gave several strikes with his blade, forcing Fang to stay on the defensive and keep his claws up, Seraph dispelled his balde, confusing Fang a little, before finding the angelic hero rush at him, tackling him to the ground and on his back, where he began to punch Fang over and over, showing no mercy.

Fang, meanwhile, was getting annoyed, before pushing past the pain, focusing as he gathered his energy into his being, releasing a blast of concentrated energy that sent Seraph flying up, only to stop as Fang quickly got up and grabbed him by the throat with his left hand, causing the angelic hero to start to struggle as he saw Fang bring his right claw up, ready to strike.

"Nice effort, kid, but you were an idiot for coming at me." Fang said with a smirk, ready to end the hero right there.

However, confusion filled Fang as he saw Seraph pull his arms up and set his hands on his helmet, taking it off.

The moment he did, Fang froze, fear and denial filling him as he saw the face of his younger brother. "TK...?"

"Matt." TK replied with an angry, if not struggling voice due to his circumstances, filling Fang with shock as he suddenly let go, causing TK to fall to the ground as he tried to catch his breath, before glaring up at his brother, who continued to back up in shock.

"No... no...no..." Matt said over and over at the revelation that not only was his brother one of the heroes he had been fighting, but that TK now knew the truth about him, his one link to his old life now staring at him with growing anger and rage.

"Matt... I thought you had changed, I thought you had stopped with your old ways. I wanted to believe you were trying to make things right, but you betrayed me!" TK snapped, finding his fists shaking and him to tear up a little.

"TK... I..." Matt started to say, only for TK to yell back and cut him off.

"Shut it!" TK yelled, continuing to express his fury as he let out. "All this time you were helping Kari, you just stood back and let her kill, harm and manipulate others. You willfully followed her commands, not even caring who you killed. I trusted you!"

'_Fang, kill him, now!'_ Kari's voice, which both brothers heard, filled their minds, which caused TK to clench his fist in anger, especially as he saw Matt's arms continue to glow with their aura, believing that now his brother was about to attack him.

"So I see you've made your choice." TK said, ready to fight his brother if he had to.

However, much to TK's confusion and surprise, the aura around Matt's arms faded, the villain bringing up his hands as though he was surrendering, bringing a tear to TK's eyes and a smile to his face.

However, that smile quickly turned into a cry of panic as a bullet went through Matt's chest, causing the masked villain to cry out as he fell forward, allowing the shocked form of TK to see that, despite him being far away and in a battle with Quickshot and her fellow officers, Deathstrike had a clear shot, and willingly took down his ally for not following orders.

"No!" TK yelled at the top of his lungs, quickly rushing to grab his brother's falling form, who groaned in pain as he placed his hand over the wound, before the younger blond extended his wings and carried his brother down to the alleyway, out of sight in the event Deathstrike went for another hit.

"Izzy, I need you here, quickly! Track my location and get over here, now!" TK yelled into his comm as he tried to hold back his tears, resting Matt on the ground as he took the older blond's helmet off, before placing his hand over the wound as he began to say. "Hang in there, please! It's going to be..."

"TK... listen..." Matt groaned through his pain, cutting his brother off as he continued. "I.. I'm sorry... I'm a screw up... always have been... everytime I tried to get away from this life... I always get pulled back in... and before I knew it, I ended up in a situation I couldn't see my way out of. The only plus side... was it allowed me to spend time with you again... It... it felt good that you were proud of me... you were always the best of us... little brother..."

TK couldn't stop the tears from coming down his cheeks, now regretting the anger he felt towards his brother and not wanting to lose him like this.

Thankfully, the sounds of energy wings caught his attention, turning to see HiTech land near him, while Lilly, Starlight and Shadow Walker came rushing into the alley, before the four heroes saw the sight before them.

"Help him, please!" TK begged as he continued to tear up, where HiTech moved down into a kneeling position next to Matt, his right hand over the wound as he scanned it, while Shadow Walker called in the EMTs to come to the area.

"Joe, I got someone with a bullet wound here, walk me through it." HiTech said through his comms, before Matt took in everything he was hearing, looking at the tech hero as TK's words entered Matt's mind.

'Izzy...? Then...' Looking over at Lilly, Matt quickly recognized the features of Mimi, realizing his old friends were still looking out for his brother, before his eyes widened at another realization.

'Then... he... he's...' Matt thought as he looked up towards the fortress, seeing the flames as he knew Dragonheart and Red Phoenix were fighting, now knowing exactly who his arch enemy really was, as well as the pain he must be going through.

Above, Tai did his best to continue to dodge the flames, having grabbed his helmet at one point and putting it back on, just to protect his head from the heat, while dodging whips make of pure fire as they lashed at him, the brunette still freaking out at the dark look on Sora's face and the Mark glowing on her forehead as he remembered what Rika told the team about the spell after the incident with tommy.

'_Like I said during the fight, it binds the victim to the user's will, and the longer it remains on them, the stronger it becomes and the harder it is to remove, leaving the victim's mind however the user desires it._'

'Damn it... Red Phoenix appeared only a few months after Kari made her debut... which means she's been her pawn for three years now... or longer!' Tai thought in anguish as he looked upon Sora, who hadn't said a single word since she started attacking him, the Mark seeming to take hold of her and wipe away what free will she had.

So distracted in his thoughts, Tai didn't see when Sora rushed at him, tackling him and pushing both of them off of the edge of the fortress, where the corrupted fire user began to laugh insanely as she covered her being in flames, gripping Tai tightly as they plummeted down, looking like a fireball as Tai gave a great cry from the intense heat consuming him, before they crashed on a rooftop below, where Sora delivered a quick kick to the brunette's chest, sending Tai skidding towards the edge of the roof.

"What's wrong? Afraid to fight me? You wanted to stop my Mistress, so fight me!" Sora then said in an insane tone, her glazed over eyes narrowing at Tai, where her smile turned even more wicked.

"Sora... fight it. I know there's good in you... please, come back to me..." Tai groaned, pushing himself as he ignored all the pain he felt, ignoring both the burns and broken bones, alongside the mental anguish within him.

"She promised me you." Sora then said, causing Tai's eyes to widen as the corrupted girl continued. "She promised we'd be together, forever in the new world... Maybe if I break you, she'll still let me keep you!"

"Is that really the life you want...?" Tai asked, shaking a little as he managed to get to his feet, staring at Sora as he then let out. "I remember when we were together, no Dragonheart, no Red Phoenix, no masks or costumes... I was happy to be with you, and you seemed happy... Those were the moments I loved because I was with you... You seemed so happy, but was that all fake to you or did you really love me...?"

Tai's frown grew as Sora's laugh sounded like she was having a mental breakdown, where the orange haired girl said with a dark smile. "Of course I love you, of course I was happy, and Mistress promised it would never end... Never end... I will obey my Mistress!"

Sora's body was once again consumed in flames, consumed by Kari's dark influence and Tai was becoming desperate, not wanting to harm Sora but wanting to stop her before she could cause anymore harm.

"I will destroy everything! For my Mistress, I will end you!" Sora yelled as she charged at Tai.

"Forgive me, Sora." Tai merely said, allowing his amber energies to consume his being, hating himself for what was going to happen, but he knew there was no other way.

Back below, the fighting raged on as several officers used their vehicles as a barricade, firing shot at the Shadow Demons as they charged at them, before a sinister laugh behind them caused them all to turn and see Asta appear in a dark mist, which circled around his being as his tommy guns appeared in his hands.

Then, almost like a blur motion, it appeared that Asta was firing in all directions at once, causing the police to find shelter as the dark bullets ripped through everything around the villain, who continued to laugh darkly at his handiwork.

The demon half of the gunslinging villain felt more alive than ever, feeling the dark energies from the portal fueling him, almost to an intoxicating level, and Asta was also enjoying every moment of it.

However, and with his heightened senses, the villain then side stepped, avoiding the fireball aimed at him, before he turned and looked up, seeing Fireguard and Zephyr glaring down at him.

Glaring back, Asta asked. "**Did you have to cut into my fun?**"

"Everytime." Fireguard replied, before extending his arm blades and rushing down at the demonic villain, who dispelled his guns in black wisps of smoke and drew his daggers out, using them to block against Fireguard's attack.

"I am getting sick and tired of you, freak!" Fireguard yelled as he pushed back against Asta, the pair flying back as the villain skidded across the ground, while Fireguard's wings left a trail of flame in his wake.

"**I was about to say the same for you and your little girlfriend. Now we end this!**" Asta yelled in reply as he pushed Fireguard back, before the pair began to trade blows, parrying against their blades as they fought, before Asta swung his left blade to the side, blocking a swing from Zephyr's claws as the two elemental warriors worked together to take on the demonic villain.

With their teamwork, Fireguard and Zephyr managed to keep Asta on the defensive, finding that through their close range, the demonic villain continued to try and fight dirty, dropping his daggers from time to time as to allow himself to recall upon his guns and try to shoot the heroic duo, each shot just missing their beings as they dodged his attacks, both feeling frustrated, while getting desperate as they saw Asta's bullets barely missing civilians that were trying to get to cover.

"Zephyr, we need to end this now! You know what to do!" Fireguard yelled, getting a nod from the blonde heroine, already knowing what he had in mind as she quickly flew up and into the air, bringing her hands together and gathering her elemental energy in them, creating a powerful vacuum of wind, before casting out the elemental energies as a powerful tornado that circled around Asta, lifting up the demonic gunslinger, who shook wildly against the winds.

"**Let me go! What are you doing!?**" He yelled with a growing rage, trying to fight back and break free from Zephyr's attack, trying to flap his wings and get his bearings.

Fireguard then acted, showing his teamwork alongside the wind user as he brought his hands together, before unleashing a stream of fire at the tornado, which then wrapped itself around the turbulent winds, turning the tornado into a fire tornado, which Asta began to scream within.

"**Damn you both! Damn...!**" Asta started to yell, his demonic form protecting him to an extent from the force and the inferno, before he looked up, seeing both Fireguard and Zephyr coming at him with their fists clenched, which they slammed into his face as the same time, sending him crashing into the ground below as the tornado dispurst, leaving Fireguard and Zephyr standing above the fallen form of Asta, seeing that as he lay unconscious beneath them, his demonic half had retreated further into his being, allowing the darkness around his being to disappear, revealing his normal face as Ryouma, where he lay knocked out.

"Come on, the cops will deal with him. We have to help stop this madness." Fireguard then said as he and Zephyr took off, launching themselves at the closest grouping of Shadow Demons they saw, continuing to dwindle Kari's forces, but both knew they still needed to take down Kari herself.

All around, the fighting continued, with Cobalt Warrior, Razor Wolf, Responder, Darkblade, Midnight Raven and Songbird battling the demons as best they could, Vixen locked in a magic duel with Psychonis, who had some unusual help in the form of magic wielding Dark Warriors, Quickshot and her fellow officers were battling Deathstrike, leaving Fighting Fury battling Shadowknight, only for the auburn haired hero to quickly make a run for it as the Colossus seemed to turn its attention on him, trying to step on him with its massive feet.

Meanwhile, Red Nova and Thunderstrike were once again battling their old nemesis, Fusionist, who stood on top of a raised platform of rock he had created as he cast down shards of metal, wood, rock, and fire at the pair, laughing insanely as he did so.

"Ironic, isn't it? That at the end of the world, I finally get to end both your miserable lives!" Fusionist yelled in joy as he continued his fused attacks at the pair, while inside, he was starting to get annoyed, mostly due to the fact that not only were five of his allies taken out, but one particular blonde was off doing her own things instead of helping like she should be, glancing over with a glare at Charm Mistress, who was having her own fun toying with the cops, using her psionic abilities, instead of focusing on the 'heroes'.

"We haven't given up before against you, Fusionist, and we won't start anytime soon!" Red Nova declared, continuing to avoid Fusionist's onslaught and doing what he could to try and strike back, casting out a series of fireballs at the villian, who brought up his left arm, which was coated in metal, allowing Fusionist to repel the attacks with ease.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Fusionist yelled as he then slammed his right hand into the ground he was standing on, causing tendrils of rock to shot out of the platform he was on, the tips of which were burning with flames as they rushed at the pair, with Red Nova barely able to dodge it, while Thunderstrike had an easier time thanks to her super speeds.

Rushing over to Red Nova, setting a hand on his back as she moved close to him, Thunderstrike asked. "Are you ok?"

"I'll be fine." Red Nova assured, before staring at Fusionist and commenting. "But it looks like we'll have to use a little combination power of our own if we're ever going to land a hit on him."

Giving a sudden groan, Red Nova fell forward, looking as though he had taken more damage than he was letting on, bringing a concerned expression to Thunderstrike as she quickly set her arms around the fire user, helping him down.

"You just rest for now while I take Fusionist on." The speedster heroine said as she glared at Fusionist, looking ready to strike.

"Tunderstrike, wait..." Red Nova began to call, only to see the spot Thunderstrike was standing at was vacant, seeing the heroine charging ahead at Fusionist.

With Red Nova down and seeing Thunderstrike coming at him, Fusionist gave a dark smile behind his mask as he stared down the heroine.

"I already took down your boyfriend, so how are you going to defeat me?" Fusionist asked, continuing to show his power as he turned the ground leading down the platform into ice, causing Thunderstrike to quickly steady herself as she tried not to slip on the changed ground she was now on.

Keeping her composure despite the disadvantage against her, Thunderstrike acted fast, showing her quick wits as she used Fusionist's ice floor as a launching pad, jumping high into the air and landing behind Fusionist, seemingly catching him off guard as she swung around and delivered a powerful spin kick, only for her leg to get caught by one of the rock tendrils, wrapping around her left, before throwing the heroine off to the side.

"Like I said before, you..." Fusionist started to say with growing arrogance, only to quickly turn as a blast of fire came colliding with his face, curiosity of Red Nova, who smirked to see that his secret plan between him and Tunderstrike had worked, with him pretending to be injured, allowing his partner to distract Fusionist and to work together to land a blow.

However, when the flames cleared, both Red Nova and Thunderstrike were shocked at what they saw, seeing that part of Fusionist's mask was burnt off, letting his hair flow freely and his hazel eyes to be shown as he narrowed them at the pair.

Meanwhile, after taking a winged Dark Warrior out and turning to her allies, the moment her eyes landed on Fusionist, Songbird had a flash as the memory came back to her, walking down the hallway to her dressing room, and the 'reporter' that was waiting for her.

"You!" Songbird snapped, feeling her anger consuming her as she yelled. "You were the one who put that demon inside of me!"

"That was the Night Queen's idea." Fusionist said defensively, unnerving those watching as Fusionist's personality seemed to change a little, going from the insane persona they were used to and becoming more calm and collective. "I only wanted to enslave you to my will like she promised, which reminds me, I never got to thank you for being such a very cute slave."

As Songbird fumed, feeling embarrassment mixing in with her anger, Red Nova, meanwhile was shocked, for he recognized Fusionist as a former classmate, one that disappeared from school after his family was killed in a botched robbery.

'Someone else I failed to help...' The fiery hero thought, wondering if he had paid more attention back then if he could have helped change the path this person took.

"Tagiru Akashi." Red Nova then said, expressing a more empathetic voice, causing Fusionist to tilt his head at hearing the hero he had fought and had despised for so long call him by his name, before he asked. "Why walk this path? After what happened to your family, why use your powers this way instead of helping others to not suffer their fate?"

"Why? Because there is no true justice, there is no true peace in this world. It is a corrupt, vile place where the strong prey on the weak, where you so-called 'heroes' claim to protect the peace, but you confuse peace with quiet while allowing the media to fan your egos and leave those who deserve to suffer in power." Fusionist replied, revealing his motivations, before he added with a grin behind the rest of his mask. "That's why I chose to follow her, to follow the Night Queen, because she is going to tear this world, build on a corrupt system, down and build a new one in its place!"

"And after all we've worked for, we won't let our plans be ruined by the likes of you!" He then yelled as he slammed his right hand into the ground, where the effect was instantaneous, causing the heroes, cops, demons and villains to move quickly.

When it passed, all of Odaiba looked different, with buildings tumbled and broken, rock formations all over the place, and people cut off from one another as they all looked in the direction of Fusionist, still in shock by his power, before they saw the unconisous forms of Ironfist and Asta land next to him with a thud.

"You both agree with me don't you? Ryo? Ryouma? You both put on a good fight, but now, now we show them what real power is!" Fusionist then said with an insane look in his eyes as he placed his hands on the unconscious forms of his allies.

At the next moment, the trio were consumed in a pillar of energy, blinding most who looked at it, before they all heard Fusionist speak, though his voice was altered slightly. "I admit... in the past, you might have been stronger than me, Red Nova."

Within the beam, everyone then saw the black silhouette of a figure form, only for their eyes to widen as two more arms appeared on the figure as it grew twice its size, leaving Dark Ivy, Dark Hawk and Stryker looking petrified along with the officers guarding them, TK, HiTech, Lilly, Starlight and Shadow Walker looking in terror as the EMTs worked on Matt, whose eyes were widened at what he had come to witness, along with the other heroes, including Davis, who stopped fighting through the flying Shadow Demons blocking his path to Kari as he looked down in shock, while Charm Mistress and Psychonis looked at the sight with mixed fear.

The only ones who weren't shocked were Shadowknight, who focused on fighting, along with Red Phoenix, and Kari, who looked down from where she was on the fortress with a dark smile on her face.

"But I have surpassed you in every way, and now I will tear you apart limb from limb!" Fusionist yelled as the light vanished, revealing his new form, showing that one of his new arms looked like Ironfist's cybernetic arm, the other made of pure darkness, with wings coming out of his back and his face mask replaced with one that looked metal with demonic writing on it, his eyes glowing a deep crimson red as he glared down at Red Nova, who gulped at witnessing the true extent of Fusionist's power, seeing that he had merged Ironfist and Asta into his own being.

And while a continued dread filled him, managing to steady himself as he stared at what Fusionist had become, Red Nova knew his fight was far from over.


	22. Chapter 22

Continuing to walk toward the center of her fortress, and to her destiny, Kari couldn't help but smirk as she sensed the fear and panic running through those below, especially due to Fusionist's abilities.

Even before she recruited Tagiru, the Night Queen was well aware of his true power, and his real persona, hence why she ignored his usual remarks and attitude, happy to see his motives aligned with her own, and that soon, both would get what they wished for.

Arriving at her destination at the top of the center spire, Kari looked to see a circle of dark purple energy glowing on the ground with ancient writings on it, while the Dark Book hovered off the ground, glowing with the same dark energies.

Meanwhile, all around the circle, a rare type of Shadow Demon floated, Dark Warriors, each concealing their heads with a dark silver helmet, not only hiding away their faces, but also keeping the mists that made their beings at bay.

Around their shoulders were steel shoulderplates, shaped into skulls, with a similar skull set upon the belts each were wearing.

Their bodies were covered in dark robes, allowing their mist-like bodies to pour out from the bottom, where each floated in place, waiting for the Night Queen to join, as to begin their ritual, expressing no emotion as they hovered in place, knowing they only existed for this purpose.

Smiling behind the dark mist that covered her face, Kari walked into the center of the circle, before slamming her staff into the ground before her, closing her eyes as the dark wizards began chanting around her.

Above, tendrils of dark energy began to flow down from the massive portal above the city, encircling and encasing the Night Queen in a vortex of darkness, the corrupt brunette smirking the whole time.

Her ascension had begun.

-Meanwhile-

Down below, despite her own shock at seeing the transformation Fusionist went through, Vixen focused, knowing she still had a fight of her own as she turned and looked at Psychonis, seeing that the dark haired sorceress was also shocked by what she had witnessed, leaving the redhead to assume none of the other Dark Legionnaires knew about this power Fusionist possessed.

But having to keep focused herself, Vixen turned, raising her staff just as Psychonis' came down upon her, trying to cut Vixen down to size with her dark magic imbued hands.

Throwing a few punches, each making contact with Vixen's staff, with the mystic heroine putting up a great defense, Psychonis continued to show her relentlessness as she increased the darkness circling her hands and gave a set of punches, managing to repel Vixen back a few feet, groaning at the impact.

"Look around you, Katou! Is madness really what you want? You escaped the Circle of Shadows, why continue to follow Zhaitan's evil!?" The red haired mystic called out as she recovered from Psychonis' attack, knowing that while she was a villain, she was also a human being, and knew that whatever the Night Queen was doing would not end well for any of them.

"I don't follow Zhaitan, I follow her!" Psychonis yelled in reply, gathering dark magic into her hands once again as she added. "This is my destiny now. Once she's done, not even Zhaitan will stand in her way, and I'll be at her side in her new world!"

Having what she needed to say, Psychonis then cast out the dark energies, releasing it as a great and powerful surge, shaping itself like a lion, where it charged at Vixen, giving the mystic heroine very little time, only able to bring up her right hand and form what defenses she could at such short notice.

Groaning as she felt the dark energy collide with her barrier, sending sparks of dark energy surging all around, while the dark lion seemed to be trying to tear its way through the energies protecting her, Vixen took a moment to focus, clearing her mind and ignoring the physical and mental strain on her as best she could, thinking of the emotions, the feelings, the power she felt, and focusing on those important to her, as the image of her maroon haired leader, the man who would always hold a spot in her heart, came to mind.

'I might never have your heart, Davis... but I will always be there when you need me...' Vixen thought with a growing determination, knowing that he needed her help now more than ever, before her eyes glowed brightly through her mask as she felt her power rising.

Pushing herself, Vixen continued to keep her hand up, repelling the dark energies of Psychnois, finding her power increasing, allowing the red haired heroine to rise up her staff and cast out her own stream of energy, pushing through the dark energy that formed the lion, which roared in agony as it dissolved, and shot towards Psychonis, who quickly brought up her own barrier, consuming herself in dark magic, only to feel it start to fade from the overwhelming power of Vixen's attack as it collided with her power, causing the villainess to cry out in panic, fearing the worst.

Not too far off, Shadowknight, who was watching the Colossus chase after Fighting Fury, having seen the hero reach the top of one building, only to quickly leap away as the massive demon's fist slammed into said building, toppling it over, heard Psychonis' cry, turning to see the dark sorceress losing her fight with Vixen.

It was then something began to stir within the dark warrior's being, a desire to rush to Psychonis' aid, but he had his orders, to fight and destroy the Night Queen's enemies, to...

'**Save her! Save Jeri now!**' A voice then screamed in his mind, his own voice, which seemed to overpower his senses as he moved, just as Psychonis' barrier was broken, the energy slamming into the villainess and filling her with pain as she began to lose her magic hold, plummeting to the earth below.

But before she could hit the ground, Jeri felt someone catch her, opening her pained eyes in surprise to see Shadowknight holding her bridal style, still showing his lack of emotion, where a portal opened before them, the dark warrior taking her through it as it closed behind them, leaving Vixen confused at what she just witnessed.

'They left, but why did he...?' Vixen mentally questioned herself as she tried to understand Shadowknight's motives.

But knowing Fusionist, Charm Mistress and the remaining dark forces still tore through Odaiba, she knew her questions would have to wait for another day, turning to see Red Nova and the other heroes who weren't busy focusing on the villain below.

Meanwhile, still fighting on the same rooftop, which now looked like it was on fire, Tai and Sora continued to battle, with the brunette using his energies to help protect himself from the fire attacks, finding even that wasn't helping much in the end as he dodged a fire blast from his corrupted girlfriend.

"I'll break you, and when Mistress is done, we'll be together forever!" Sora yelled with a continued insanity, showing what rational thought she had left quickly being overwhelmed by the power of the Mark, continuing to override her love for the man she was now fighting and causing her to lose her grip on her sanity.

'I have to end this soon, or she'll start burning the city down as well.' Tai thought in frustration as the flames around Sora began to grow, taking the form of a flaming bird around her, where it seemed to react to Sora's madness and let out an ear piercing shriek, while the roof they were fighting on was melting away.

As much as Tai wanted to fight back, to stop Sora, looking at what she had done, witnessing the great inferno she was casting, even if he wasn't already pushing through the broken bones and other injuries he sustained, the brunette knew he couldn't stop such an attack.

However, to the shock of both Tai and Sora, a large amount of water seemed to surge up the building, quickly wrapping itself around the fiery villainess and causing her to scream as her fire was extinguished.

"Darling, you need to cool off." A familiar voice then said behind Tai, causing him to turn and see Rachel and JP, both in their elemental armours, floating behind him, before a third figure landed on the rooftop next to the brunette, shocking him to see Tommy, only now, his elemental armour looked purified, even though his anger was now focused on Sora.

However, Tai then turned back when Sora's screams were heard through the water, causing him to see her eyes glowing with flames, along with her body as the watery sphere around her started to bubble and heat up, steam filling the air around them.

Feeling the intense heat overpowering the waters, Rachel said through her growing groans. "You boys better do something before she escapes."

"On it!" JP said back as he charged his fists in thunderous energy, before casting them off as a set of electrified blasts, striking the dissolving sphere of water and causing Sora to scream once again, only it was from the terrible pain that began to fill her, causing Tai to cringe at the sound, feeling his heart breaking from the pain Sora was going through, hating himself for what had lead up to put the orange haired girl in such a position.

But keeping his focus, Tai then saw the orange haired girl pass out, just as Rachel released the water holding Sora, who began to fall to the ground, causing Tai to quickly rush and catch her before she could hit the ground.

"We all felt the magical disturbance, first from Bagra, then from all this, so we rushed to come help as best as we could." JP said as he saw Dragonheart lie the orange haired villainess on the ground, before all three turned to see Tommy walk up to Dragonheart and Red Phoenix, the masked ice user remaining silent as he looked down at Sora, particularly the glowing mark on her forehead.

Then, without warning, three spikes of ice formed on Tommy's right hand, causing Tai to tense up as he thought the boy was going to attack, only for Tommy to bring his hand up, firing the spikes into the air, impaling three winged Stalkers that were rushing towards them, causing the demons to dissolve before they could arrive.

"Where is she... where's that witch?!" Tommy then asked in anger as he glared at Dragonheart, still feeling the mental trauma from the dark spell Kari had placed on him, before he looked up, seeing the cyclone of dark energy flowing from the top of the fortress.

"Leave it be for now, Tommy. We need to help stop these creeps." JP said as he put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder, knowing he was mad and wanted to bring the Night Queen to justice, but right now they needed to focus on the larger battle.

"Go help the others, I'll take care of her." Dragonheart said as he took Sora in his arms, lifting her up bridal style and began to bring her down to the waiting authorities, wanting to get the orange haired girl in the right hands before any further harm could befall her, leaving the three Warriors to join the battle against the ever growing army of Shadow Demons.

Meanwhile, having landed on another rooftop, Fighting Fury was panting heavily as he watched the Colossus destroy the upper half of the building he was just standing on before, his body feeling the strain as he was using his full power for longer than he should, feeling his muscles burning as he body on the verge of collapse, but he knew he had to keep going and find a way to take the demon down.

He remembered when the last Colossus tore through Odaiba, and how it took several teams of heroes and the police working together to finally take the creature down, many losing their lives in the process, and Fighting Fury wanted to make sure it didn't happen again, steeling himself as the beast turned to him, letting out a fierce roar as it began to walk towards the tired hero.

However, the Colossus was then distracted as something flew by its being, firing blasts of blue energy at its face, causing it to let out a frustrated roar as it tried to hit the new foe, while Fury looked to see Responder trying to take the creature on.

"What are you doing?! Get out of here!" The deputized hero called out in great concern, not wanting to see the young hero get harmed, but Responder ignored him, focusing his attention on trying to find a weak point on the massive creature as he fired all over its being.

Remaining on the offensive, Responder continued to analyze the Colossus, finding through his visor, he could see the points of impact, but found that none had done any serious damage to the giant being, leaving the tech hero wondering just how they could take down such a foe, if there was a certain power of attack that could cripple this enemy.

However, flying past the Colossus' arm, while doing his best to avoid its grasp and being crushed, Responder was smacked down when the giant just managed to strike, swatting its hand down, with the rush of wind from the swing throwing Responder off course and causing him to plummet to the ground.

"Responder!" Fighting Fury called in concern, wanting to rush down and help the tech hero, but found that from his position, he wouldn't be able to reach him in time.

Groaning as he tried to get up, Responder felt a shadow cast over him, looking up to see the Colossus' foot about to come down and crush not only him, but a group of civilians that rushed over to check on him.

'Damn it! What do I...?' Responder tried to think, to at least save the civilians, before he heard someone cry his name, a familiar voice, where he turned his head to see, much to his horror, Ai pushed through the group to check on him.

"Ai?! No! Get out of here!" He yelled in great concern, no longer fearing for himself, but for the blonde's very life, putting Ai ahead of his own safety, not just as a civilian, but as his girlfriend.

However, Ai didn't listen, her fear of losing Haru too great as she got in front of him, checking to see if he was alright, before she turned and stared wide eyed at the massive foot of the Colossus coming down towards her, her fear finally taking over as she closed her eyes and held her arms out defensively.

Once she did, however, much to the surprise of Responder and the civilians, Ai's hands began to glow with a shining pink energy, turning into circles with ancient runes on them, before a great blast of energy shot out of the blonde's hands, not only shooting through the Colossus' foot, but its chest as well, causing the demon to let out a cry of agony as he began to fall backwards, its body dissolving into shadows before it could hit the ground.

Opening her eyes after sensing they were no longer in danger, Ai was just as shocked by what happened, looking at her hands in surprise as Fighting Fury managed to come down and check on Responder, where the tech hero asked in shock. "Ai... how... how did you do that?"

"I have no idea." The blonde could only say, still in shock as she looked upon her hands, wondering herself how she was able to use such power without knowing about it, while Vixen, who had flown over to check after seeing the Colossus go down, thought to herself. 'Looks like she has a strong tie to magic as well.'

Not too far away, using the remains of a building for cover in his showdown with Quickshot, Deathstrike couldn't believe what was going on around him, first at seeing Fusionist fuse with two of their allies, and then seeing the Colossus go down, leaving him wondering if this was a fight that the Dark Legion could win.

'At least I got to take out that traitor.' The gunslinging villain then thought with a smirk, recalling the horrified face of Seraph at seeing Fang gunned down, before his other senses kicked in, letting him know that Quickshot had turned a corner, having her right where he wanted her.

Popping out of his hiding spot, taking the auburn haired heroine by surprise as she tried to turn her guns to him, Deathstrike quickly activated his rocket launcher, where the missile seemed to impact, causing the villain to smirk wickedly.

However, much to his shock, a barrier of pure light shot out of the smoke, revealing that Seraph had arrived and used his power to protect Quickshot, his left arm losing the energy and the shield fading, while the angelic hero's right hand was brimming with energy as he quickly closed the distance between them, giving Deathstrike no time as Seraph let out a cry of rage, slamming his fist into the villain's face, sending him flying back and crashing into a wall behind him, where the villain slumped from out of the broken debris, falling to the ground, where he lay unconscious.

"That's for my brother, you filth!" Seraph said in anger, wanting to do much more to the gunslinger, but he knew that justice needed to prevail, allowing Quickshot and a few officers to quickly rush over and apprehend the villain, before the angelic hero flew off, knowing that the super charged Fusionist, Charm Mistress, and most of all, Kari, where still at large.

As all the fighting continued, Red Nova continued to stand his ground as he stared at the warped form of Fusionist, seeing the black wings of Asta spread out, as though ready to take off, before the hero's eyes widened to see dozens of tommy guns emerge from the black folds of the wings, pointing directly at him.

"Die!" Fusionist yelled as hundreds of dark energy bullets were unleashed from the barrels, causing Red Nova, Thunderstrike and Songbird to each dodge the onslaught, trying to avoid the mass attack as they went for cover.

From their confines, as well as past the officers watching them, Dark Ivy, Dark Hawk and Stryker were all in shock, awe and fear at seeing Fusionist fight, where the defeated assassin said loudly. "That's it, if we get out of this, I am getting as far away from him as possible!"

"I'm just glad I never got on his bad side." Stryker said with a light laugh, where his girlfriend and the plant based villainess each glared at him, before refocusing on the battle.

While Red Nova, Thunderstrike and Songbird managed to take cover behind a massive section of debris, the remains of what used to be a section of skyscraper, the three found that they couldn't stay in one place for too long when they saw the ground rip up around them, pulling out electrified cables that then shot at the group, noticing the lines of cable each connected with the same dark energy that made up Fusionist's new form.

"If this keeps up he'll consume all of Odaiba." Songbird said with growing concern, believing that the longer Fusionist remained in power, the more danger she, her teammates and the civilians would be in.

The trio then looked up in time to see Fusionist leaping towards them, with the cybernetic arm pulled back as electricity and flames encompassed it, ready to strike the heroes down in one blow.

"I'll kill all of you! Nothing will stand in the way of the new world!" Fusionist cried out as he attacked, forcing the three heroes to split when the villain's extra fist slammed into the ground, only for it to create a shockwave that sent the three flying back in different directions, while breaking up much of the debris around him.

Standing back up, and looking around with a mix of annoyance, rage and insanity in his eyes, Fusionist then yelled out. "Airu! Stop hiding! Get out here and fight!"

Said villainess, meanwhile, was cowering behind a beam of a half repaired construction site, too overwhelmed in fear to move, not at the heroes, but at the true power of one she deemed an annoyance, having flashes of all the times she belittled him, got mad at him, and other times that made her regret her life at the moment.

"Oh, damn. Damn, damn, damn, please don't find me. Please, please, I promise to never treat you like trash again, please, please just leave me be." The blonde whispered in growing panic, hoping that she could just slip away and that the heroes would distract Fusionist long enough for her to escape.

While she knew her cowardice would not go unnoticed, she would make it up to the Night Queen somehow... she hoped.

Occasionally summoning enough courage to pop her head out, only to reel it away, Charm Mistress managed to get a glimpse of the fight, seeing Red Nova had split from the girls, trying to divert Fusionist's attention with a barrage of fireballs, knowing that as much as they detested one another, his hate for Red Nova would always get the best of him.

Red Nova then dodged as Fusionist lunged at his, seeing his normal hands grow daggers like Asta's out of them, each with electricity running along their tips as he charged at his foe, only for a blast of electricity and sonic energy to slam into the villain's side, not knocking him back, but causing him to turn and glare at seeing Rachel, JP, Tommy, Cosmic Knockout, Frequency and Razor Wolf all glaring at him.

"Looks like we're late for this party." Frequency then said with a smirk as the three heroes and three elemental warriors prepared to lend a hand.

With their arrival, the group acted fast, with Rachel using the busted water pipes to call upon her element, raising several streams of water, each turning to tendrils that wrapped around and tore through Fusionist's cables, Tommy focusing directly on Fusionist and casting out a wave of icy energy, slowly freezing and consuming a section of the villain's being, while JP and Cosmic Knockout fought side by side as they slammed their fists into an overturned car, not only throwing the vehicle at Fusionist, but with the electricity coursing through it, it overloaded the battery and caused it to explode upon Fusionist, dealing a fair amount of damage to his being.

However, much to the shock of the heroes, the damage Fusionist seemed to sustain slowly began to heal itself, where they looked to see the dust and gravel around him swirling, as though he was fusing them into his being and repairing the damage.

Stepping forward, Frequency tried to counter Fusionist's power, to put a halt on the villain's regeneration as he threw several small speakers out, each latching to Fusionist's body as they began to emit a great shrieking sound, not only delaying Fusionist and his abilities, but the sonic energy seemed to do a number on his form.

"Take that you fre..." Frequency started to say, before his eyes widened as he then saw his speakers sink into Fusionist's body, only to reappear on his cybernetic and shadow arms, which the villain then pointed at the blond hero, sending out a blast of sonic energy right at him and sending Frequency flying back and crashing into a car nearby.

"Ok... That hurts..." Frequency commented with a groan as he tried to get up, feeling the constant ringing in his ears from the sonic attack.

Meanwhile, just as Fusionist was about to make a move, Thunderstrike came at him from ever angle, delivering powerful punches, while making sure not to stay to close to him for long, a method Razor Wolf mimicked as he rushed the villain, swinging his blades at Fusionist as he rushed past him, trying to damage him in the process, leaving the villain disoriented, especially when Songbird and Vixen flew over, firing blasts of energy and magic at him.

"Damn you all, I'l...!" Fusionist started to yell in anger, before three fists, Red Nova's flaming, Seraph's light infused, and Fighting Fury's energy covered fist collided with his being, sending the villain flying, crashing into the construction site nearby, causing the villain to growl in anger as he started to get up, before a familiar help of fear caught his attention, turning his eyes and anger to see Charm Mistress looking at him in fear from the beam she was hiding behind, fear that grew as his hand reached out for her.

"No, wait please...!" The blonde villainess cried out in a growing fear, before there was a loud scream and a flash of light, alerting the heroes, where they then saw the construction site begin to break apart, the rock, metal and wood all breaking apart as even the ground was sucked up, forming a massive tornado of debris.

And from the tornado, the upper torso of a man popped out, only its entire being was black, save for a pair of red eyes, while red energy flowed out of its being, looking like spikes coming out of its back and its arms, where the being then let out a monstrous roar.

"**No more games! If I have to fuse this entire city with me, I'll kill you all!**" Fusionist yelled, his voice now echoing in the minds of the heroes, letting them know that he had just fused Charm Mistress into his being.

"This isn't good. The more we try and attack him, the stronger he becomes. At this rate he'll start absorbing more than just those three into him." Seraph said in concern as they looked at the new form of Fusionist, watching as the debris around the villain was breaking apart and being sucked into the tornado that formed his being.

"Even if we damage him a little, he just repairs himself, we need to take him out in one blow." Songbird then added as the other heroes joined up and stared upon what the villain had become, failing to see the solemn look on Red Nova's face.

"The rest of you stay back. I'll end this." He said with a more serious tone, causing most of the heroes and heroines to look at him with confusion, while Thunderstrike looked at him with worry and fear, causing her to start to ask. "Please, don't tell you you're going to...?"

But not wanting to reply, Red Nova focused himself upon Fusionist, where his entire being was covered in flames, causing the other heroes to back up, before the fiery hero launched himself at the torso part of Fusionist, who laughed as he saw his enemy rushing towards him, where he yelled out. "**You can't stop me! Your actions helped make me what I am today.**"

"I can't set things right in the past but I can help make a brighter future." Red Nova said in reply, dodging tendrils of dark energy that were shot at him before, much to the surprise of those below, he grabbed at Fusionist by the waist, dragging the torso section up and out of the tornado, towards the sky, with said cyclone starting to follow the pair upwards.

"What is he doing?!" Fury asked in concern, where Thunderstrike replied with some tears starting to form in her eyes. "Up there, he doesn't have to worry about buildings or people getting caught up in this, so he can let loose."

As Red Nova kept flying upwards, holding the being that was Fusionist, seeing only a dark mist for hands and a lower body, while the rest of the cyclone followed them, sparks of dark energy began to surge on the hero, the villain trying to fuse his enemy into him, but increasing his fire, Red Nova managed to block him out.

However, for a brief moment, their minds touched, and Fusionist's eyes widened as he realized who Red Nova really was as he said in a voice of surprise. "**Kudo?!**"

"Tagiru, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed a friend to help you." Mikey began to say, expressing a more sincere smile as he added. "But after this is all over I promise to set things right. I will put an end to all that hate still plaguing at your heart."

The fire around Red Nova then grew even larger, consuming both Fusionist and himself, causing the villain to cry out in pain, while the hero let out a cry of his own, unleashing his full strength as a massive blast of fire shot out of him, disrupting the cyclone heading towards them, while everyone below had to shield their eyes from the bright like, feeling like the sun was only inches from their faces, astonishing the group, while Thunderstrike was left in great concern.

When the light died down, the heroes all looked to see what looked like a ball of fire heading towards the ground, crashing with such might that several cars nearby were sent flying, where the heroes, especially Thunderstrike, rushed to see if their friend was alright, and if Fusionist was defeated.

And when they arrived, looking down into the crater that was formed, Thunderstrike held back tears of joy to see Red Nova standing, his armour broken in some areas, while behind him was the unconscious form of Fusionist, who had reverted back to his original form, while the unconscious forms of Ironfist, Asta and Charm Mistress were sprawled out all along the crater, having been freed from the fused form with Fusionist's defeat.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" Thunderstrike yelled as she rushed down, almost tackling Red Nova in a tight hug, just as the other heroes finally arrived, each sighing in relief to see that the fight against Fusionist was over, before Red Nova said with a serious tone. "I promise, but we need to focus, this fight isn't over yet."

The other heroes nodded as they looked up at the dark pillar of energy coming out of the top of the fortress, seeing Dragonheart and HiTech now flying up to see if they could aid V-Force.

Having finally cut through the Shadow Demons in his way, Davis landed behind the ritual site, quickly glancing around at the chanting Dark Wizards, extending his light blades once again as he prepared to cut them down and end this ritual before it could be finished.

But before he could act, Davis' eyes widened to see each of the demons dissolve into shadows, joining the pillar, before a shockwave of dark energy was sent out, causing the maroon haired hero to shield his eyes from the blast, but as it faded, not only did he feel it, but so did every living thing around them, where Dragonheart and HiTech stopped in their tracks as everyone look at the spot the Night Queen stood in, seeing the dark energy fading, and seeing a horrifying sight in its place.

Floating before Davis was a being three times his size, a being clad in a pitch-black robe and wielding a gigantic scythe based weapon, with the blade charging up with the same darkness that now filled Kari's figure.

Upon the robe and set within the chest, the shoulderplates and the waist were a collection of glowing blue gems, which Davis didn't pay much attention to, finding himself drawn to the hood covering Kari's face, finding it consumed completely in darkness.

Behind the dark form of Kari was a large ring formation, expelling a tremendous amount of energy within the centre, while around the ring, great fragments of black crystal floated around, the sight of which caused Davis to step back a little, finding himself filled with dread and fear at what Kari had become.

"**I am the Night Queen... I am the new Dark One... Let this world of pain and anguish disappear... forever...**" The Night Queen said in a voice that sent chills down the spines of everyone within Odaiba.

The final battle had only just begun.


	23. Chapter 23

The very air around Odaiba was heavy as everyone, hero, cop and civilian stared up in terror at the being that called itself the Night Queen, looking as though it had emerged from the depths of their nightmares to bring about their end.

"Wh... what happened to her?" Darkblade asked in fear, where Vixen, after finally regaining her composure, gave her own opinion as she said with some nervousness. "It... it looks like she's become a pseudo Dark One. Not as powerful as Zhaitan, but close to it... The ritual must have drawn the power of the Dark Realm into her and changed her into this..."

Davis, meanwhile, took a step back as he gazed at the figure before him, feeling anger at himself for being too late.

And despite what he heard Vixen say, he felt this was something else, as though the ritual was designed to make it look like Kari had drawn on the powers of the Dark Realm to turn into this, but in reality, it seemed to draw out more of the dark power within her own being, and Davis felt the confined darkness within him being drawn to it.

"Kari... please, listen to me! You...!" Davis started to yell, only for what appeared to be two eyes began to glow from the darkness that was seen under the being's hood, before a powerful surge of darkness sent Davis flying back, almost off the Fortress as he caught himself, gripping the side of it before he could fall off.

"**No more talk... I will show you the world meant for us...**" The Night Queen said as she turned back over the city, raising both her arms as the scythe sparked with dark energy.

All around, broken buildings and debris began to course with the same energies, with some beginning to float up towards the dark portal, while all the Shadow Demons below and flying around began to let out cries of joy and excitement, unnerving the heroes even more.

"This has to stop. We have to stop her before she does... whatever it is she wants to do." Dragonheart said with a grunt, still feeling the broken bones and other injuries he sustained fighting Sora, but knew they had to stop Kari before it was too late.

"Agreed." HiTech said in reply, before informing. "The readings I'm managing to pick up are like nothing I have seen before, and if they keep going, then it will be over for all of us."

Getting a nod from those below, Seraph, Songbird and Responder began to fly up towards the fortress, while Vixen gestured for the rest to come over to her, with Lilly, Shadow Walker, Starlight and Quickshot joining the group after making sure Matt was taken to emergency care, before the mystic heroine focused her energies, causing orbs of light to surround the remaining heroes, which then followed the redhead up towards the Night Queen.

The Night Queen, meanwhile, didn't move or flinch as she saw her enemies, including her traitorous former friends and brother, coming towards her, not that it mattered to her.

As of now, nothing in this world mattered to the dark being, only its destruction.

Getting back up, Davis looked in fear to see the other heroes heading towards Kari as he thought in panic. 'No, get away guys! There is more going on here...'

But before he could rush over, a small army of Dark Warriors appeared around the maroon haired hero, who extended his blades, his eyes glowing as he glared at them, especially when one then said. "**You are not to interfere, Ascended... you still have a part to play in our Masters' design...**"

'Again... more than one Dark One...? Just what is going on here?!' Davis questioned mentally, but could not voice his words as the demons charged at him.

With V-Force being attacked, it caused the others to act, all focusing themselves on Kari, hoping to end her madness once and for all, with those in the spheres of light landing around the Night Queen, pushing down the growing sense of dread and fear that the dark being's presence seemed to cause as they prepared to fight.

"Kari Kamiya, I don't want to do this, so surrender yourself." Quickshot said, keeping her pistols drawn on the dark figure Kari had become, only to then feel a terrible shiver run through her entire body as she heard the being laugh, the sound like nails on a chalkboard.

"**Still following the rules of the law?**" She asked, her tone mocking the auburn haired woman, which didn't abide too well with Fighting Fury as his body began to pulsate with orange energy, causing the other StarCorps to look at him in concern, already knowing that he has been pushing himself way past his limits.

Then, with a mighty yell, Fighting Fury shot himself at the Night Queen, bringing his right arm back to deliver a powerful punch to the villainess with all his might, only to be shocked when she brought her left hand up, catching his blow, which send a shockwave out that almost sent the other heroes flying, before they looked in fear to see the Night Queen completely unharmed.

"**Pathetic worm!**" The Night Queen declared as her left hand pulsated with dark energy that she then threw as a great blast, sending Fury flying back with a cry of pain, shocking everyone as he landed on the fortress roof, skidding a few feet, before looking badly injured as he tried to get up.

This set the rest of the heroes in motion, trying to stop this demi-god before it could destroy everything they loved and cared for.

Dragonheart was the first to move, using his energy to form an energy construct shaped like a dragon around his whole being, which let out a mighty roar as he charged at his corrupted sister, hating to have to fight her like this, but did not see any other way to get to her.

"I'm sorry, Kari, but you've left me no choice!" Dragonheart yelled as he rushed at her, only to quickly move back, dodging a swing of her scythe, before his eyes widened as a shockwave of energy shot out of the blade, crashing into him and sending him flying back in great pain, landing a few feet back as he cried out in the added pain, while Lilly moved to check on his wounds.

"**I am not your weak little sister any more... I am beyond her... beyond all of you now...!**" The Night Queen yelled as dark energy flowed into the ring construct on her back, forming a dark orb, which then fired out dozens of blasts of dark energy, slamming into Responder, Razor Wolf, Midnight Raven, Starlight, Red Nova, Zephyr, Azumi and Darkblade, causing all of them to cry out as they were all knocked back, all landing around the battlefield as they felt a terrible pain rushing through their bodies.

Seeing more of their allies fall, concern and anger filled the remaining heroes and heroines, all knowing they had to approach Kari with absolute caution if they were to stand a chance against her.

Having seen what Kari could do, Seraph and Shadow Walker acted as both released a respective blast of light and shadow energies, having seen Fighting Fury's failed head on attack, believing long ranged moves would be safer.

The attacks, however, didn't seem to affect the dark being, where the Night Queen tilted her head towards Seraph and said with a laugh. "**Is that all you have, TK? Pitiful... just like your brother...**"

Knowing Kari was baiting him, Seraph remained as calm as he could, keeping himself distanced away from the dark being that Kari had become, only for his senses to kick in, causing him to move aside as dozens of dark portals opened all over the area, sending out tendrils of dark energy that tried to strike at the group.

With Kari's latest ability, it forced the remaining heroes and heroines to keep a high alert as they avoided the tendrils, some striking back at the dark masses, only to find their attacks did nothing to slow them down.

Sweeping under another tendril, Cosmic Knockout glared at Kari, seeing the dark hooded figure continuing to stare ahead, as if observing their fight and enjoying the sight of their humiliation.

'How... how can this... this thing be the same girl who I looked up to and inspire me?!' She questioned herself, letting her anger loose as she saw Kari seemingly paying her no attention, where the pink haired heroine then charged past the tendrils and made her way to Kari, ready to pummel her.

However, as she leapt into the air, ready to bring her fist down and onto the Night Queen's face, several tendrils wrapped around her arms, legs and torso, effectively holding and restraining her.

As Cosmic Knockout struggled to break free, the dark being turned her head towards the girl, as if examining her more closely, before the Night Queen then gave an amused chuckle, seeing past the visor as she said. "**Ah, Eri... I should've seen it... You and your little boyfriend should have stayed out of my way... your deaths would have been less painful...**"

Cosmic then looked in fear as the Night Queen brought her scythe up, seeing the dark energy sparking off of it, ready to strike, only for her to swing it in the opposite direction after hearing a loud yell, where the bound heroine looked past Kari, where she saw Frequency dodge the scythe, before launching several speakers at the villainess' face, each blasting with a pulse of sonic energy that actually caused Kari to stagger a little.

"You leave Cosmic alone!" Frequency called, expressing a serious and protective voice, pushing past his own fears and finding the fear of losing the girl he loved overwhelming him, before trying his hand once again, casting out several more speakers in the hopes it would buy him enough time to break Eri from her bindings.

And sure enough, the tendrils around Cosmic began to loosen, giving the heroine the chance she needed as she broke free from the restrictive grasp, before she and Frequency used the moment to move away from the villainess, less she turned her wrath on them.

Seeing his own chance, HiTech flew around the Night Queen, firing energy blasts and small missiles from his shoulders at her, finding his attacks dealing little to no damage, leaving him trying to figure some way of subduing her.

It was then, much to the tech hero's horror, that the villainess shot up at him with great speed, faster than even Thunderstrike could move, where she grabbed him by the throat, slowly squeezing the life out of him, leaving HiTech to struggle in her grasp.

"**After seeing my brother as a 'Hero', it was easy for me to figure the rest of you out, Izzy... You might be smart, but not enough if you thought you could stand against me...**" The Night Queen said as dark energy ran through her hand, electrifying HiTech and causing him to cry out in pain, overloading his suit, before Kari threw HiTech aside, leaving him on the ground and barely able to move, not only finding his suit no longer functioning, but his body had taken a great toll.

"HiTech!" Lilly cried out at seeing her love defeated, before her eyes widened as she felt a shadow behind her, turning to see the Night Queen before her, looking down at the heroine with her menacing glowing eyes.

"**Don't fret, Mimi... you can join him...**" The dark being said as she brought her scythe up, ready to strike the plant based heroine, and former friend, down, only to find her blade blocked by Fireguard and Cobalt Warrior, who used their own blades to try and hold the villainess back.

"**You are starting to really test my nerves...**" Kari then said with a growing irritant, before sending whips of energy down her weapon, which struck Fireguard and Cobalt Warrior, causing the pair to cry out from the intense pain that was forced upon them, causing both to lose what fight they were putting up against the Night Queen and fall back to the ground, leaving Lilly standing all alone.

But not even that lasted too long, for Kari swung her scythe around, directing the hilt into Lilly's stomach, knocking the plant user down and knocking the wind out of her, leaving her gasping for air.

Before the Night Queen could do anymore damage, she turned and began firing blasts of dark energy form orbs that appeared around her, firing at Thunderstrike, Cyberstriker and Quickshot as they raced to attack her, with the tai chi hero and the gunslinging officer sent flying back after being hit directly, while Thunderstrike leaped into the air to deliver a powerful kick, only for a tendril to grab her leg, swing her around a bit, then slam her into the ground, a sight that caused the dark being to chuckle, before narrowing her eyes as she then looked up to see the two heroines she hated the most glaring at her, the ones, in her warped mind, stole the man she loved from her.

"**I will make your deaths the most painful...**" Kari stated as she floated up towards Vixen and Songbird, who glared back at her, one wishing to find a way to stop the corrupt sorceress and help her for the man she loved, the other wanting to end the brunette not only for the evil she has done, but for the pain she had caused Davis.

"We won't let you hurt Davis anymore!" Songbird called back with a defiant tone, before attacking, casting out a blast of energy from her right hand, which was followed by Vixen, who brought her staff out, harnessed her mystic energies and released the building energies alongside Songbird's attack, finding that their combined powers clashed against Kari's being.

But merely swinging her hand, Kari dispelled the energies against her, shocking the heroines, before they saw the same dark orbs appear around the corrupt being, causing them to move as they dodged the barrage of fire, with Vixen bringing up magical barriers to protect herself and Songbird, only to groan in pain each time they were hit, shattering like glass before the overpowered dark energies.

'It's no use... why then? Why was I given more power if I can't...' Vixen started to mentally ask herself in concern, which then grew as both she and Songbird were then restrained by tendrils, both girls struggling to get free.

"**This ends now...**" The Night Queen then said as more tendrils appeared, grabbing at each of the downed heroes and heroines, who all groaned at the pain and tried to free themselves, only to look on with shock and dread as an orb appeared before each of them, gathering energy for one powerful blast each, with the intent on killing them all, where the villainess continued and declared with a growing wickedness. "**There is no place for any of you in my new world... you will only exist as dust in the wind, along with all those other 'heroes' that stood in my path before you...**"

"Enough!" A familiar voice then yelled, as a powerful blast of light shot through the area, dissolving the tendrils and orbs, causing the heroes and heroines to all fall to the ground, each breathing a sigh of relief, before turning to see the injured form of V-Force make his way over to the fight, having finally defeated the demons sent to hold him back, where he walked towards the Night Queen.

Turning and looking at Davis, a mix of rage, confusion and anger filled her as she tried to understand why he was still standing against her, why he couldn't see that she was doing all this for him, making her question if these infidels that kept them apart meant more to him than she did.

Raising her left hand, Davis then felt his body stiffen as he was lifted off the ground, before quickly shooting towards Kari, shocking and scaring the others as he was only a few inches from the darkness that was her face.

"**You would die for them...? For this corrupt, wasted world...?**" The Night Queen asked in growing anger.

"No..." Davis replied, shocking Kari as he then continued and said. "I'd die for that girl who brought a smile to a lonely boy so long ago."

His words brought back a memory to Kari, one she had long forgotten, remembering when she was younger, before her parents had died, when they went to the park, and Tai wanted to teach her how to play soccer, only for the ball to go past her, causing the young brunette to chase after it.

When it stopped, Kari saw that it was resting next to a boy sitting against a tree, and when her eyes landed on him, his own eyes meeting her own, she felt as though she had found something, or someone that had been missing from her life.

"_Hi... Sorry about that, my brother was trying to show me how to play soccer._" The young Kari said to the boy with a bright smile, who looked at her, and could not help but smile back, feeling the same as the girl before him.

"_It's cool._" The young boy said in reply, expressing a sincere and sweet smile as he handed Kari the ball back, keeping that smile and the positivity as he offered. "_If your brother is ok with it, I could give you a few pointers._"

"_Thanks... My name is Kari by the way._" The young Kari said with a bright smile, where the boy smiled back and replied. "_My name's Davis. Nice to meet you, Kari._"

Visualizing her younger self and the memory of Davis walking back to Tai and all three playing amongst the other triggered something in the Night Queen, causing her to lose her focus, where Davis felt himself freed from her hold, moving back as his wings glowed, taking notice of Kari as she gripped her head as she began to cry out. "**No... I... but... why...?!**"

It was then that Davis saw something, floating not too far off from where they were all standing, was the Dark Book, still glowing with energy, causing the young hero to realize the ritual wasn't over, and he still had a chance to stop it.

"I'm sorry, Kari, for not seeing the pain you still carried, but I'm here now." Davis then said as his body began to glow with light energy, gathering it into his hands, leaving many to think he was going to strike at Kari, including the brunette herself as she glared at him, preparing herself as he fired the blast.

However, much to everyone's surprise, the blast went past Kari, causing everyone to look and see it strike the book, setting it ablaze with light energy and causing it to slowly burn away.

It was in that moment that the Night Queen then let out a cry of agony, her dark form breaking apart as beams of light shot out of her, before there was a massive blast, so powerful that the dark fortress began to break apart, with the Odaiba PD and the Elemental Warriors below moving civilians out of the way from the falling debris.

As for the heroes, those who could fly were in the air, while the rest were saved by Vixen, who used her light spheres to land them on the nearest roof tops.

Davis, meanwhile, looked around, before he spotted her, looking to see the unconscious form of Kari falling, returned to her original form, her Night Queen outfit ruined and tattered as ever the darkness that surrounded her face and arms had vanished, along with her face mask, finally seeing the face after so long.

'She's alive.' Davis thought with some relief as he prepared to go over and catch her.

However, just before he could, much to the shock and horror of all, dozens of dark metal chains came out of the dark vortex over the city, wrapping around Kari's being, and dragging her up into it.

"**I am not done with you yet, my Champion, there is still more for you to do.**" A dark and terrible voice, the voice of Zhaitan, then bellowed as it rang throughout the city, where hundreds of more chains seemed to emerge from the portal, anchoring themselves all over the city as everything began to shake.

"What now?!" Cosmic Knockout yelled in fear, before Vixen replied in horror. "Zhaitan... he's trying to drag our world into the Dark Realm!"

From what he had heard, and seeing Kari in distress, Dragonheart then extended his blades and swung at one of the chains, only for it to repair itself like it was nothing, where Vixen then said. "You need to stop it at the source!"

"Then that's where I'm going!" V-Force yelled as he flew up towards the portal, concerning many of the heroes and heroines watching.

"Not without me you're not!" Dragonheart then yelled, pushing through his pain to save not just the world, but his sister as well, believing that there was still the same caring Kari he was proud to call his sister.

And adding their own assistance, Fireguard and Responder flew after them, followed closely behind by Songbird and Vixen, who used her powers to help Fighting Fury and Red Nova join them.

"Hey, wait for..." Midnight Raven then began to say, only to look down and see hundreds of dark portals open across the city, where legions of Shadow Demons emerged, ready to cause more damage, including, much to their horror, three Shadow Colossi, who roared loudly as they began to march across the ruins of Odaiba.

"Let them go, we need to focus on the fight here." Cobalt Warrior said with great seriousness, where the other heroes moved to battle the demons, while the blond hero looked up, seeing the eight other heroes and heroines enter the portal as he thought. 'Good luck, I fear we all need it now.'


	24. Chapter 24

As the eight heroes and heroines passed through the rift, their senses became disoriented, as though their minds were trying to adjust to their new environment, before they found themselves landing on solid ground, or at least what they believed was solid ground.

Quickly getting their bearings, V-Force, Dragonheart, Fireguard, Responder, Red Nova, Fighting Fury, Songbird and Vixen looked around, with the mystic holding her staff out as it let out a pulse of light, illuminating the almost suffocating darkness that was around them, allowing them to see where they were, finding themselves standing on a large platform made of a dark rock in a vast void, where the only light they saw came from the portal above, showing their world as the chains seemed to come from the darkness around them and enter the rift.

But their inspection of their surroundings came to a halt as the heroes sensed something powerful almost overbearing, causing them to turn around and see that, only a few feet from them, was a large, dark throne made of the same black stone they were standing on, and above the throne was a massive column, where V-Force's eyed widened to see the chained form of Kari bound to it, her eyes meeting his with a look of guilt and pleading, before a dark chuckle caught his attention, looking down to see the occupant of the throne.

The being was the same size as the creature Kari had turned into during her ascension, covered from head to toe in dark robes, with the only signs of what he was being the dark metal gauntlet that covered his claw like hands, the dragon like shoulderpads, and the glowing red eyes that were seeing from its hooded head.

"Zhaitan..." Vixen said in fear as she gulped, before adding as she got a better look at the Dark One. "His... his avatar, at least..."

"**And so, the honoured guests have arrived, at last.**" Zhaitan said as his avatar's head turned up and looked at the heroes, most were nervous at seeing the supposed God of Darkness before them.

All but Davis, who merely glared at the Dark One, walking forward a few feet, much to the worry and horror of everyone around him, including Kari, where the maroon haired hero then demanded. "What do you want with Kari?"

"**It is not just the girl I desire, but you as well.**" Zhaitan replied, not only shocking everyone, including Davis, but also adding to their concerns as they realized Kari's abduction was to bring Davis here, where he then asked in anger. "What do you want with us?!"

"**Once, my brethren and I ruled over all in eternal darkness, until the Light came.**" Zhaitan began to say, where Davis and the others saw that around the darkness, images began to appear of a time long past, where the Dark One then told those around him. "**The Beings of the Light helped bring about the Multiverse, and we fought them, to reclaim our rightful dominion and cast out the Light, a war that has continued to this very day.**"

The rest of the heroes were shocked by this, with even Vixen intrigued, especially at hearing that not only were there more than one being like Zhaitan in existence, but those fighting them as well.

Davis, however, kept his glare as he then said. "You didn't answer my question."

A dark chuckle left the Avatar, causing Davis to glare more, before Zhaitan replied in an amused tone. "**No, I didn't. Interesting, you're much quicker than many of your counterparts.**"

The words caught Davis, the other heroes and even Kari by surprise, before the Dark One continued his explanation. "**At the height of our war, the greatest of our kin set forth to end this blighted existence and return everything to our Darkness, but two of our enemies, great champions... and lovers, challenged it, a battle that ended with all of their destructions, our brother and his enemies shattering into shards and spreading across the Multiverse.**"

"**And yet, as though still bound by their duty, a shard from each of the warriors latched onto one of our brother's shard, the light of both keeping his darkness back, and in pairs, these clusters scattered about existence, being reborn as two humans, referred by many mortals, due to their ability to harness the powers of the warriors and my brethren, as Ascended.**" Zhaitan then said, where Davis and Kari's eyes began to widen as they came to understand what was happening here.

"**And whenever the Ascended come into existence, they always appear as the same two individuals.**" Zhaitan then added as the images around them changed, showing different worlds, different people, with some of the heroes and heroines even seeing themselves in the images, some with strange creatures around them.

And yet, there were always two people they could see constantly in each and every image, Davis and Kari.

It was in that moment that both Davis and Kari felt a sharp pain in their heads, with Davis gripping his head with his right hand, while Kari cried out in pain, concerning the others as they looked at the pair, where flashes played before their eyes.

_Your darkness ends here..._

_We will not let you succeed..._

_THIS WRETCHED LIGHT SHALL FADE..._

When the flashes faded, Davis and Kari panted heavily, trying to comprehend what they saw, as though witnessing a fight from three different perspectives, before they heard Zhaitan speak once more.

"**You saw it... buried deep within your souls, fragments of their memories. And now, at long last, you both are right where we want you.**" The Avatar said as it stood up, a dark aura forming around its being as Zhaitan then said. "**I will draw the fragments of my kin from you, help him reforge himself, so that he can finish what he started. But first, your friends will all have to die now.**"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Responder called back as he gathered a great amount of energy in his chest piece and cast it out.

Holding nothing back, Dragonheart, Songbird and Vixen joined in, each releasing their own unique energies alongside Responder's, striking at Zhaitan, giving it all they could, only to find their attacks, though striking the Dark One, did nothing to damage his form.

"**I am a god. Your power is insignificant compared to me.**" Zhaitan said as he brought his hand up, sending out a powerful shockwave, causing the heroes and heroines to quickly scatter, less they got caught up in the destructive path of the energy that was unleashed.

Continuing to release his darkness, Zhatian laughed.

"**Cower before me mortals! Know that everything you sought to protect will end in ruin!**" He bellowed as the ground around the heroes and heroines continued to spike up with darkness, continuing to keep them in a defensive state.

But pushing through their fears, thinking of all they could lose, their friends, homes, families and loved ones, the group did all they could to fight back, with Fighting Fury taking a strong lead as he rushed toward Zhatian, his right arm reeled back as it glowed in orange energy, where he leapt at the dark being and slammed his fist into Zhatian's being, only to find himself in shock to see the Dark One not even flinch.

And before he could react, a gust of energy sent Fury flying back, caught by Dragonheart as they got away from their foe.

"**Foolish child, you dare strike one as powerful as I?**" Zhatian questioned, intensifying the dark energies flowing around the area, doing all he could to crush and destroy those before him.

The Avatar, however, did move when Davis shot at him, firing a blast of light energy at the Dark One, who brought his hand up, creating a barrier that easily blocked the attack, turning his head to face Davis as he smirked at Zhaitan.

"If what you said is true, then that means I Can hurt you." The maroon haired hero then said as he extended his light blades and rushed at Zhaitan, who still remained in place.

"**You can, but without the girl, you are nothing!**" The Dark One bellowed in reply as he held his hand out, firing a blast of dark energy at Davis, who quickly brought his blades up to block, groaning intensely at the power being pushed at him.

"**Consider yourself lucky. Any other who would suffer my wrath would surely meet their demise. Unfortunately for you, the extraction of the shard will be far more painful.**" Zhaitan said as he pushed more energy into his attack, ignoring the fire blasts sent at him by Fireguard and Red Nova, seeking to immobilize Davis before he dealt with his allies.

Watching the scene before her, Kari tried struggling against her chains, finding that they were binding her power, where she looked up and saw Zhaitan easily smashing through the heroes, especially Davis.

'What have I done...?! He... I let him use me... I let myself get blinded by his promises and lies...' Kari thought to herself as she remembered all she had done, all the evil she had committed, before thinking in anguish. 'What was the point of all that then?! All the pain... the suffering... the deaths... I... I...'

Davis, meanwhile, kept his ground, refusing to give up.

He didn't care about being an 'Ascended' or some ancient war of Light and Darkness, all he cared about was saving Kari, and seeing her struggling against her restraints with teary eyes triggered something in him.

"I... I won't quit... I won't give up... I won't lose to you!" Davis yelled as his being began to pulsate with light, his wings growing larger, his eyes glowing brightly through his helmet, and his blades turning into pure energy, which shot out, cutting through Zhaitan's attack as it rushed towards the Avatar, whose eyes widened for a millisecond, before the entire platform illuminated in a bright light.

When the light faded, there was no sign of the Avatar, and the platform was falling apart, with those who could fly going to the air, while Vixen used her magic to help Fighting Fury and Red Nova take to the air.

Davis, however, looked around frantically, before he saw Kari, freed from the chains, but found her starting to fall into the black abyss, where he rushed at her with a cry. "Kari!"

'Save her, Davis, Damn it!' The maroon haired boy thought as he flew towards her with all his might, finding the memory of that day return to him, with him walking next to her no long after her parents died, Tai near them as the two fought some fresh air would help the brunette, before they passed a bookstore that happened to be there.

"_Davis, do you mind if I go in here for a moment?_" Kari asked with a soft smile, to which Davis replied with a smile. "_Sure, I'll wait here for you._"

He then watched her go in, unaware of what fate, or a Dark One to say, had planned.

'She needed you... and you let her slip away... this time, don't let go!' Davis mentally berated as he extended his arms, reaching out for the falling form that was Kari, before feeling a great relief as he caught her, causing him to act on his feelings as he held her close to him, refusing to let her go.

Kari, meanwhile, had her own flash of memory, remembering a day when they were younger, she had tried climbing to a tall tree, before she lost her footing and began to fall.

She expected a rough landing, but found Davis had caught her, leaving her staring up at the younger Davis and seeing the care and concern for her in his eyes.

And feeling his arms around her, Kari's eyes widened as he then said the same words he said to her back then. "No matter how many times you fall, I'll always be there to catch you."

Unable to hold back tears and letting her emotions flow, Kari wrapped her arms around Davis' neck, letting her feel out as she sob and said repeatedly as she remembered all she had done. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

It was the sight the other heroes saw and heard as they flew over to them, with Dragonheart trying to hold back his own tears, seeing part of his sister once more, while Vixen and Songbird held their emotions back.

However, a loud roar caught their attention, with everyone turning to see something emerge from the darkness, only to realize that it was the darkness itself moving and taking form as a massive demonic face was seen, made of pure darkness as its mouth opened, letting out another roar as it stared at them with fearsome red eyes.

"I'm guessing that's the real Zhaitan?" Songbird asked in fear, getting a nod from Vixen, while Davis moved Kari so that she was hanging onto him from behind, holding his blades out to fight.

"**I have planned for too long to fail now! None of you will leave here alive!**" Zhaitan declared as two massive arms emerged from the darkness, before another sinister laugh was heard, causing the Dark One to sneer and for the heroes to feel another great darkness.

"**You said YOU would SUCCEED, Zhaitan...**" A voice that sounded like multiple people, ranging from a small child to a raging beast, said with a laugh as the heroes saw six massive red eyes open in a circle, before seeing two smaller ones, and one large, fanged mouth appear in the center, grinning at the mortals.

"**They cannot leave... we cannot fail again...**" Another dark voice said as dozens of glowing purple eyes were then seen on the other side of Zhaitan, along with many dark tendrils.

"Ok... now there are three of them!" Dragonheart yelled in panic, concerned for Kari and the others, leaving the heroes unnerved as, while they knew the portal was behind them, until the chains were cut off, there was no escape.

Kari, meanwhile, held onto Davis tightly, feeling responsible for all of this, but mostly for putting Davis in such danger.

'I...I want to save him...!' Kari thought as she closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold back her tears, before she felt it again, the same light as Davis within her, and this time, she reached for it.

Everyone then sensed it, even the Dark Ones as Davis looked behind him, seeing Kari's being begin to glow, her eyes still closed, before wings just like the maroon haired hero's sprouted out of her back, opening her eyes and looking into Davis', a feeling of understanding and trust forming between them as Davis looked back at the Dark Ones, both Ascended glaring at them with determined eyes.

"**NO!**" The Dark Ones yelled, expressing actual fear, where the tendrils, claws and other appendaged shot towards the heroes.

But before they could reach anyone, a massive blast of light shot out, blinding everyone and everything as it filled the area.

Back on Earth, as the remaining heroes, Elemental Warriors and cops were putting up a desperate struggle against the Shadow Demons, a sudden large flash of light was seen from the portal, where all the demons stopped moving and dissolved into shadows, much to the relief of those below, before the portal quickly closed, snapping all the chains and causing them to dissolve as well, before the remaining Protectors, Vigilant and StarCorps saw a sphere of light slowly descend to the ground, quickly running to it to see their friends safe and sound, with Davis and Kari panting, seeing the pair holding each other close and looking as though they wouldn't be leaving the other's embrace anytime soon.

"It's over..." V-Force said as he looked at the others, who let out their own sighs of relief, before the sounds of cheering filled the air as the civilians and officers of Odaiba gathered to cheer the heroes for saving them, while the members of the Dark Legion who weren't knocked out frowned as they were placed into police vehicles to be taken away.

Meanwhile, Quickshot and Cobalt Warrior were moving to arrest Kari, only for Marcus to hold his hand out, silently asking the pair to give them a moment as he looked at Davis and Kari, who just silently enjoyed the moment together, not knowing what the future held for either of them, but something inside told them they would find out together.


	25. Chapter 25

Two weeks had passed since the battle, dubbed by the media as the 'Nightfall' Incident, and Odaiba was slowly rebuilding itself, with many citizens now feeling at ease knowing the Night Queen and the Dark Legion were defeated and behind bars, set within the highest of security systems as to avoid any escaping.

Composing himself, TK opened the hospital room door after being cleared by the officers on guard, walking in to see Matt on the bed, a bandage wrapped around his chest and handcuffs keeping him restrained, before the older blond looked with a solemn smile at his younger brother.

"TK." Matt greeted with a tone matching his smile as the younger blond came in, with TK still grateful that the doctors were able to save Matt in time, but also sad that, knowing once he got a clean bill of health, that his older brother would be sent to prison.

"Listen..." Matt then said as he tried to sit up, groaning from the pain he still felt, before the defeated villain looked at his brother and said. "I'm probably going to be gone for a long time after this. I regret a lot of things... but I was glad to be able to spend time with you, little bro. I'm proud of you, of the man you are and the man you'll be."

TK did his best to hold back his own tears, before he said with a smile that was a mix of happy and determination."Thanks, but I know you'll find a way out sooner than you think, and I'll be there when you do, making sure you walk the right path, or so help me I will put you back in this hospital myself."

Matt couldn't help but grin back at his brother, hoping that TK was right and that they could be together again soon.

-Meanwhile-

Entering the room they had prepared for him, Red Nova walked in front of the glass wall that separated him from Tagiru, who was bounded in a straightjacket and to a chair, with devices monitoring him to help suppress his powers, including a mouth guard as he narrowed his eyes at Mikey, even more so as he took his helmet off and looked at the bound villain.

"Tagiru, I am sorry things got this far, I can't help but think you were right, that this was my fault." Mikey said with empathy, unsure if Tagiru would hear him out, but he continued to speak.

"I can't imagine what you must've endured to see the world in such hatred that you would be willing to destroy it all, but I promise I will continue to make things right and help you see the good in others." The fiery hero then said, putting his helmet back on and turning to walk out, before looking back at Fusionist and adding in an almost challenging voice. "You have a great power, one that could do so much good in the world. Perhaps one day you can try and see what the world could look like through the eyes of a hero."

Tilting his head, Tagiru watched Red Nova leave, leaving the villain to his own thoughts, as well as the parting words of Mikey.

-Meanwhile-

An air of silence filled the small prison cell as Tai held a solemn look on his face.

Before him and dressed in prison fatigues, alongside a flameproof collar designed to keep her fire powers at bay, Sora sat adjacent, only she was staring at the ground before with a dead look in her eyes.

After the Mark of Shadows was finally removed, the orange haired girl was finally able to think for herself for the first time in years, to think clearly, and she was horrified at all she had done, remembering each and every life she had ended in a fiery death, all the while smiling as she did so.

It left Sora feeling broken inside, especially when she willingly tried to hurt those she loved.

'I was a monster... I allowed myself to do such horrible things, and I never questioned myself...' Sora thought to herself, allowing her pain and misery to consume her, before feeling a slight warmth when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn her head up to see Tai looking down at her with a soft smile.

"You're not to blame for anything you did, Sora. The authorities already know that. Give them time and you'll be out of here before you know it." The brunette said with a smile, though slightly forced, as he wasn't sure how to act with Sora anymore, still confused as to what was real about her and what was an act due to the Mark.

"Sora." Tai then said as he looked upon the orange haired girl with continued sincerity and told her. "I could never imagine what you are going through, but just remember that you still have others who care about you, who still love you, and I promise I'll be there for you whenever you need me, to help you through your pain. You might've been manipulated by Kari, but I know your kindness was all you."

Removing his hand from Sora's shoulder, Tai then turned to leave, letting out a sigh as he wondered what he would do with his life, before his eyes widened as he felt something press against his back, turning his head to see Sora holding him from behind, pressing her face into his back as she teared up.

"Tai... please believe me... not everything was fake... my... my feelings for you are real... I love you... please believe me..." Sora said through her tears, fearing that these events had driven the man she loved from her and that he would never return her feelings again.

But looking up at Tai, Sora began to tear up at the sweet smile the brunette gave.

"Nothing could stop me from loving you, you should know that by now." Tai told Sora, managing to turn himself around and set his arms around her, holding her closely and gently.

Not wanting to let go, Sora held her beloved close, hoping that one day, she could not only redeem herself for her past, but also forgive herself as well.

-Meanwhile-

As Tai finished his visit with Sora, making sure he didn't leave until he was certain there was part of her still trusting in herself, within a much more secure cell, and after having passed through all the security checks to be allowed in, Davis was in a similar situation as he stood before Kari, who was also wearing prison fatigues as she sat on the bed, with seals placed all over the walls to help restrain her magical abilities, less she tried to escape.

For her own part, Kari was left with much doubt, looking back and finding her vision for a better world more twisted and misguided than she realized, that Zhaitan had manipulated her all these years and had warped her mind to imagine such a terrible place, a realm of eternal darkness to be her own desires, all to lure Davis and herself in an attempt to draw the darkness from within them out and recreate an ancient terror.

"I've done horrible things... and in the end, I wanted them." Kari said aloud with a sigh as she looked down to her feet, not wanting to look at Davis, to look at the man who meant the world to her, her soulmate who she harmed in ways she never thought possible, fearing the hate and loathing he often gave her as the Night Queen now being directed at her.

However, much to her surprise, Kari then felt someone sit down next to her on the bed, before placing a comforting arm around her, pulling her so that her head was resting on his shoulder, a gesture she did not refuse, while Davis smiled down at her and began to gently stroke her hair.

"After everything I've done, you're still here for me?" Kari had to ask, turning her eyes up to look upon Davis' face, where she saw his smile.

"Of course. When we were younger, I made a promise to look out for you, to be there for you." Davis replied with a heavy sigh as he then said. "I know I failed that promise and let this all happen, but I will keep my word. This time I'll always be there for you. Whenever you need me, just ask and I will be here."

Kari closed her eyes, feeling the tears begin to form as she listened to Davis' caring words, before she remembered Rika and Nene, seeing the care they both shared for her love, where she began to then say. "I'm going to be here for a long time, Davis. You... you should move on, find someone who can be the girl you deserve and..."

"I can't move on, not when a part of me is here with you. You are the love of my life, and I will wait for you, for as long as it takes." Davis cut in with a sincere and loving tone, causing a smile to appear on Kari's face as she sat there in silence, enjoying what time she still had with Davis before he had to leave for the day.

Hours later, having thought seeing Davis was all that would happen for the day, the time of which she cherished, Kari was surprised to find herself in a visitor's room, sitting before a table after the guards led her there, confusion filling her, before seeing the door open, surprised to see Vixen walk in with a white book in hand.

Once the door closed, and making sure the camera's were off, Vixen sat on the other side of the table, where she removed her mask and hood, allowing Kari to see Rika's true face, staring ahead to see the redhead smile at her.

"Is there something I can do for you, Rika?" Kari asked in a neutral tone, part of her wondering if the mystic heroine and daytime model had come to gloat on her locked up status and Davis now being available.

"This won't be made public for a few weeks, but after a conversation with Commissioner Sampson, the Odaiba PD will be launching a new program, the Redemption Project, which will give a chance for former villains to reform themselves, after some training and closely monitored services, before being allowed back into society, assigned to particular hero groups." Rika informed as she took a sheet out of the book and handed it to Kari, who took the document and read through the details, where the redhead then added. "Three of your former associates have signed up already, and I want you to be the fourth."

This surprised Kari, but the brunette quickly looked down as she then stated. "I doubt the city will allow me to sign up for this, plus it's hard to play the hero with the dark magic I know."

"Then start over and reinvent yourself." Rika then added as she slid the book over to Kari, where the mystic then added. "This is the first book I read from when I started learning magic. It's yours now."

"Kari, you have a stronger connection to magic than anyone I have ever met, and that includes Bagra. Plus, after what we were told and what we saw, I know there is a powerful pull to the Light within you." Rika told Kari, getting up as she then added with a growing smile. "Think on it, in a year's time, you could be out of here, and maybe fighting beside Davis instead of against him."

This caused Kari's eyes to widen.

If this works as Rika said it would, she could be with Davis again, and that thought alone motivated her.

But looking to see Rika turn to walk out, about to put her mask and hood back on, one thought lingered, forcing Kari to ask. "Why are you doing all this for me?"

Stopping in her tracks at the question, but not looking immeditale at Kari, Rika replied in an honest tone. "I'm not. I'm doing this for that wonderful, kind, almost hopeless man who believes you are worth a second chance."

Turning back to Kari, the brunette could see the solemn smile on Rika's face as she then said. "Make sure you prove him right."

Rika then left the room, leaving Kari with her new book, and a new vision of the future, one that would see her and Davis back together again.

-Hours later-

Standing by one of the shattered windows of their base, Davis looked out at the reconstruction of Odaiba, wearing his full V-Force outfit, minus his helmet, which he held in his arms, while behind them, the rest of the Protectors, including Cody and Joe, were welcoming their newest member, where Azumi looked around the place.

"Don't mind the mess, thankfully only the windows got shattered during that battle." Cody informed from his seat by the monitors, looking over as small robotic drones Izzy had built, which were in the midsts of repairing the rest of the base, while said tech hero was off to the side, finishing the system checks on his new and improved suit.

"It's not bad at all, better than the places I've been hanging." The raven haired heroine said as she looked around the base, before smiling as her eyes landed on Henry, who also had his helmet off, allowing Azumi to get a better look at his face, and liking what she saw, while Henry blushed at her staring at him, causing Suzie to giggle at her brother's antics.

Meanwhile, Nene looked over to see Davis, with TK and Tai near him, all looking over the city, before the brunette idol walked over to the group and asked in concern, though focusing on Davis more than anyone. "Are you guys alright?"

"I'm doing better, thanks." TK replied first, feeling more at peace then he had in a while now that he and Matt had talked once more, and vowed to remain on his path and look forward to the day his brother was a free man again.

"I'll get there." Tai then added, still feeling the of what his sister had done, and what Sora had gone through, but knew there was still good in both of them, and vowed to help them return to the light as best he could.

"We'll both get there eventually." Davis finally remarked, knowing the pain both Tai and TK were going through, but knew things would get better in the end.

As the others walked over to the group, looking out, Suzie was the first to speak as she said. "I know this might sound bad, but Odaiba is in a better position with Kari and the Legion behind bars."

"In the end, they were all puppets in Zhaitan's clutches, don't forget that." Rika said in reply, reminding them that many in the Legion were just misguided.

"Still, that darkness in her..." Nene started to say as she clenched her fist, despising the former Night Queen for all she had done, for possessing her with a Shadow Demon, and most of all, for the pain she caused Davis.

But before she could continue, Davis cut in and said. "It's the same darkness that's inside of me."

Holding out his helmet, Davis looked down at it and added. "If things had played out differently, it could easily have been me out there causing havoc. Kari and I are connected in ways we never imagined. But knowing that, I know there is Light in her as well, and with time, she will come back to it."

From Davis' words, many smiled in agreement, while Nene silently nodded her head, still not trusting the brunette, but trusted Davis nonetheless.

"So what now?" Mimi had to ask, not sure where things would go from here.

A determined look on his face, Davis placed his helmet on and stated. "The Night Queen and the Dark Legion might be gone, but Odaiba still needs their heroes to look out for it. Others might try and fill the void they left, and Psychonis and Shadowknight are still out there somewhere, and we need to remain vigilant."

As if on cue, their comms kicked in as they heard Thomas on the other end state. "Protectors, Kurata apparently escaped during the chaos of Nightfall and is now running rampant across downtown, we could use some assistance."

A sec later, the Protectors looked to see Responder fly by, where the tech hero looked at them and said. "We'll meet you guys there!"

Nodding as they watched him take off, the Protectors left to join the fray.

Meanwhile, flying down the streets, behind his helmet, Haru could not help but smile as citizens below cheered for him, no longer seeing the Vigilant as some mischievous group of teenagers, but real heroes, before flying up to see his teammates waiting for him on a rooftop.

"Nice of you to join us. We were thinking about going on without you." Tora commented jokingly, causing Eri to give him a light smack to the back of his head, giggling as she watched him fumble for a bit, before focusing her attention back on Haru and asked with a friendly smile. "How's Ai doing?"

"Well, Vixen hooked her up with some colleagues to help her understand her magical abilities, but who really knows what will happen after that." Haru replied, with the whole team wondering if maybe Ai could join them in the future.

Haru then turned to Yujin, who was in human form, and said. "I plan on sitting down with HiTech later this week to go over your condition and..."

"Haru..." Yujin then cut in, before saying with a smile. "I've thought about this a lot. I kept thinking of what happened to me as a curse. But, without it, I could not have done all that I've done in the past year, nor could I have fought with all of you."

The redhead then changed into his half-wolf form, where he then said with a smirk. "So instead of seeing this as a curse, I'm going to own it, and be a hero, like the rest of you."

This caused the rest of the Vigilant to smile, before the sounds of something smashing a distance from them was heard, causing the heroes to quickly leap into action.

"Looks like Razor Wolf is back on the prowl." Tora said with a smile as the team then took off, not noticing the hooded individual, who they knew as Infiltrator, smiling at them from the crowd, knowing the city was in good hands.

Not that far off, the officers of the Odaiba PD quickly moved out of the way as the lumbering form of Kurata kicked a police vehicle out of the way, the monstrous villain laughing as his mind had returned to him during his imprisonment.

"**Yes! Run, flee, cower before me!**" Kurata yelled with an insane laugh, before a whistling sound caught his attention, causing him to turn with a feral look, only to pale at what he saw, looking up to see not just the StarCorps, but the Protectors and Vigilant as well.

"So... are we going to do this the easy way, or the fun way?" Marcus asked as he slammed his fists together, causing the monstrous villain to give a nervous gulp.

"A hero's work is never done." Davis commented as the gathering of heroes leaped out to take the villain down.

.

.

.

.

Deep beneath the earth, in a dark lit temple, a group of five individuals knelt before a dark fire.

"**I am not done with my Champion or her lover. Bring them to me, my Circle of Shadows.**" Zhaitan said to the gathering.

"As you desire, great one." The lone female of the five replied, while behind them, many glowing red eyes could be seen in the darkness.

Meanwhile, in another world, a dark being overlooked the world around him, seeing it burning and being consumed in darkness, before two other beings, emissaries of the Dark Ones, approached the figure from behind.

"**Our apologies for interrupting you and your work, but the Dark Ones have a task for you when you are done. It involves another world... one with other Ascended.**" One emissary said, causing the being to turn to them.

And behind their mask... He smiled wickedly.

AN: Thanks to all for reading this story, but the show isn't over yet, stay toon for the eventual sequel to Hero's Justice in due time.


End file.
